OOTS #1178 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[dmc91356]

Freedom! Love that bard song.

[Peelee]

Hippie bards are best bards. Especially with awesome backgrounds like that.

[LordSith]

I love the background of the freedom thing.

[Ruck]

Bahahah, Tenrin's admiration of Elan is the sort of thing I never would have thought of but which I totally needed. Finally someone truly appreciates what he brings to the team!

[ajp1011]

This was an excellent story line, but I have to be honest, I'm starting to miss Team Evil and the boys, looking forward to seeing what they're up to.

[Lord Torath]

So...I'm guessing this is the end of the round? Quick! To the OotS by Page count thread!

Love the bards' admiration of Elan!

Thanks, Rich!

[Ruck]

I love the background of the freedom thing.
Yeah, great contrast to Elan's stars-and-stripes country song.

[drazen]

I am not a D&D expert. Song of Freedom can reverse petrification? I guess it says it does what "break enchantment" does, and that has worked before in OOTS-world. For some reason I thought it specifically reversed only mind control, but I guess that's just one possibility.

Also, if Hilgya lost her domination when Durkon* was dusted, why did they need to free the councilors? Were they all dominated by Curly, the only surviving vampire? Is there some other vampire out there we don't know about?

[DrQuak]

Who'd have thunk that Elan would only get his due's from the dwarves?!

[Peelee]

Bahahah, Tenrin's admiration of Elan is the sort of thing I never would have thought of but which I totally needed. Finally someone truly appreciates what he brings to the team!

If you think that's something, just wait until Elevenrin's reaction!

[hamishspence]

Good to see Elan being appreciated.

[The Pilgrim]

Elan, the solution for all your punchline needs.

[Morquard]

Hehe, finally Elan gets some recognition around here!

[Malfarian]

Genuinely chuckling here at work, gotta keep it down.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Also, if Hilgya lost her domination when Durkon* was dusted, why did they need to free the councilors? Were they all dominated by Curly, the only surviving vampire? Is there some other vampire out there we don't know about?

Rules are fuzzy on what spell effects end when the caster is destroyed vs. what aren't, so it could be a legitimate inconsistency. It's also possible that when Durkon's personality took back control of the vampire body, he dismissed the Dominate effect as a free action at the same time dropped the Anti-Life Shell and let Belkar stab him.

[factotum]

So...I'm guessing this is the end of the round?

I doubt it. Presumably they moved back to the temple to make the next couple of winding-down strips work better, this strip doesn't feel like a good "end of book" strip to me.

[slayerx]

Bahahah, Tenrin's admiration of Elan is the sort of thing I never would have thought of but which I totally needed. Finally someone truly appreciates what he brings to the team!

Tenrin was Durkon's father. The bard is Thirden, aka Uncle Squeaky

[Doug Lampert]

I doubt it. Presumably they moved back to the temple to make the next couple of winding-down strips work better, this strip doesn't feel like a good "end of book" strip to me.

Yep, there's no reason in this strip for them to be back at the temple.

[Morquard]

I am not a D&D expert. Song of Freedom can reverse petrification? I guess it says it does what "break enchantment" does, and that has worked before in OOTS-world. For some reason I thought it specifically reversed only mind control, but I guess that's just one possibility.

I mean does it matter? It makes for a cool story and cool panel. They could just as well have had Minrah go and say "Oh look the temple had a scroll of Stone to Flesh, let me cast that on him" or V casting something like that. It was Durkon's time to get un-stoned, so he's getting unstoned.

[Sylian]

Bahahah, Tenrin's admiration of Elan is the sort of thing I never would have thought of but which I totally needed. Finally someone truly appreciates what he brings to the team!It's pretty cool that Elan gets some respect. We may find him silly, but he's actually a high level heroic Bard. Belkar doesn't seem to like seeing Elan get praise though. :elan:

[Resileaf]

I doubt it. Presumably they moved back to the temple to make the next couple of winding-down strips work better, this strip doesn't feel like a good "end of book" strip to me.

We probably still have twenty-ish strips of concluding all the current plot, setting up the situation for the next book, and giving us an end-of-book twist.

[D.One]

I am not a D&D expert. Song of Freedom can reverse petrification? I guess it says it does what "break enchantment" does, and that has worked before in OOTS-world. For some reason I thought it specifically reversed only mind control, but I guess that's just one possibility.

Also, if Hilgya lost her domination when Durkon* was dusted, why did they need to free the councilors? Were they all dominated by Curly, the only surviving vampire? Is there some other vampire out there we don't know about?

About the Song of Freedom (Awesome scene!), it's said to be "equivalent to the break enchantment spell", and Break Enchantment is stated to "free victims from enchantments, transmutations, and curses". Petrification is a transmutation, so it makes sense break Enchantment (and thus Song of Freedom) would be able to undo it.

About Vampire Domination, there's no statement in RAW saying Domination expires with the death of the dominator (although the source of the commands ceases to exist, the victim might still be compelled to follow the last orders given for the rest of the duration). We can always assume the death of Durkon* and Ponchula in The Battle of Banquet HallTM was a trigger that allowed Hilgya another save.

[Calemyr]

I doubt it. Presumably they moved back to the temple to make the next couple of winding-down strips work better, this strip doesn't feel like a good "end of book" strip to me.

Yep. No cheesy joke, grins, or posing going on yet.

[Thecommander236]

I mean does it matter? It makes for a cool story and cool panel. They could just as well have had Minrah go and say "Oh look the temple had a scroll of Stone to Flesh, let me cast that on him" or V casting something like that. It was Durkon's time to get un-stoned, so he's getting unstoned.

Thus why Elan is a barbic genius.

[Garwain]

I figured they dragged Statue Durkon to the temple because of the blue barrier. I figured that if it counts for spells and supernatural abilities, (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1157.html) then also for spell-like abilities, such as song of freedom. But no, it was merely to stage a better chapter break. But then I wonder how the rest of the council was freed. The background seems to suggest they were still in the meeting room?

[Resileaf]

I figured they dragged Statue Durkon to the temple because of the blue barrier. I figured that if it counts for spells and supernatural abilities, (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1157.html) then also for spell-like abilities, such as song of freedom. But no, it was merely to stage a better chapter break. But then I wonder how the rest of the council was freed. The background seems to suggest they were still in the meeting room?

The barriers were gone the moment the meeting was adjourned.

[Psychronia]

Finally, Elan gets the respect for all the narrative weight he pulls around here.

Now I just want a few panels of Elan, Squeaky, and Jenna talking narrative.

[Ruck]

If you think that's something, just wait until Elevenrin's reaction!

Boooo. Especially since the opportunity was right there for you to point out I wrote Tenrin when I meant Thirden. (Which, come to think of it, leads to its own set of jokes about numerically named dwarves.)

[sillymel]

I figured they dragged Statue Durkon to the temple because of the blue barrier. I figured that if it counts for spells and supernatural abilities, (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1157.html) then also for spell-like abilities, such as song of freedom. But no, it was merely to stage a better chapter break. But then I wonder how the rest of the council was freed. The background seems to suggest they were still in the meeting room?
The orange barrier is gone, so spells can be safely used now. The blue barrier only stops spell effects from going through it.

[Fyraltari]

I like that Jenna is giving the go instead of Thirden. She's not his apprentice anymore.


If you think that's something, just wait until Elevenrin's reaction!
Boo, boo!
Edit: Ninja'd, amazingly enough.

I doubt it. Presumably they moved back to the temple to make the next couple of winding-down strips work better, this strip doesn't feel like a good "end of book" strip to me.
Agreed.

I figured they dragged Statue Durkon to the temple because of the blue barrier. I figured that if it counts for spells and supernatural abilities, (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1157.html) then also for spell-like abilities, such as song of freedom. But no, it was merely to stage a better chapter break. But then I wonder how the rest of the council was freed. The background seems to suggest they were still in the meeting room?
The Barriers went down when the meeting was suspended (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1174.html).

Edit: Shinobi'd.

[Peelee]

Boooo. Especially since the opportunity was right there for you to point out I wrote Tenrin when I meant Thirden. (Which, come to think of it, leads to its own set of jokes about numerically named dwarves.)

If you expect me to ever pass up on a Spinal Tap joke, you're going to be as disappointed as David St. Hubbins was over the cover of Smell the Glove.

Boo, boo!

I knew I should have had the puppet show first...

[Fyraltari]

The orange barrier is gone, so spells can be safely used now. The blue barrier only stops spell effects from going through it.

No, that's the other way around.

[Ruck]

If you expect me to ever pass up on a Spinal Tap joke, you're going to be as disappointed as David St. Hubbins was over the cover of Smell the Glove.
You know, come to think of it, we haven't seen a drummer Bard yet...

[chy03001]

I love that Elan is considered a genius in his class circle.

[Peelee]

You know, come to think of it, we haven't seen a drummer Bard yet...

With all the Disintigrate spells flying around this world, is that really any surprise?

[Fyraltari]

If you expect me to ever pass up on a Spinal Tap joke, you're going to be as disappointed as David St. Hubbins was over the cover of Smell the Glove.


I knew I should have had the puppet show first...

https://media3.giphy.com/media/KxhIhXaAmjOVy/giphy.gif?cid=790b7611f21d73606add593b4fb83351f86e b4cb900f694e&rid=giphy.gif

[Garwain]

The Barriers went down when the meeting was suspended (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1174.html).

Edit: Shinobi'd.


Except that the meeting isn't technically adjourned! (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1178.html) Where do we read that a suspension of the meeting (due to a broken table) would cause the barriers to be lifted? This is the part I'm missing apparently.

[Sniccups]

You know, come to think of it, we haven't seen a drummer Bard yet...

There was one (a dwarven one, no less) in AMFES Spring 2. Not in the comic, of course, but we have a drawing of one at least.

[TheNecrocomicon]

Freedom! Love that bard song.

"Freedom, freedom, freedom, you gotta give what you take ... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaEjDk3lgcI)"

[Ruck]

Except that the meeting isn't technically adjourned! (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1178.html) Where do we read that a suspension of the meeting (due to a broken table) would cause the barriers to be lifted? This is the part I'm missing apparently.

We see that the barriers are no longer there.

[Resileaf]

Except that the meeting isn't technically adjourned! (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1178.html) Where do we read that a suspension of the meeting (due to a broken table) would cause the barriers to be lifted? This is the part I'm missing apparently.

Doesn't really matter what rules state that, because we can clearly see in the comic that the barriers have been lifted.

[Fyraltari]

Except that the meeting isn't technically adjourned! (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1178.html) Where do we read that a suspension of the meeting (due to a broken table) would cause the barriers to be lifted? This is the part I'm missing apparently.

Durkon wasn't unpetrified because it wasn't adjourned but the protections are down because it was suspended. If you look closely at the second page here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1173.html), you can see the moment the blue shading disappears, it's particularly visible on the Exaargh's and the chairman's beards.

[2D8HP]

Elan is right about the hostile environment, look at Belkar's facial expression!

[Peelee]

https://media3.giphy.com/media/KxhIhXaAmjOVy/giphy.gif?cid=790b7611f21d73606add593b4fb83351f86e b4cb900f694e&rid=giphy.gif

It's his most famous one (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088258/), but I'm a sucker for anything by Christopher Guest.

[Mad Humanist]

So the hammer? Is it going to magically appear in Durkon's hand or is that a loose plot thread created by Elan's theatrics?

[Zhorn]

There's something I just love about bard just GETTING other bards :smallbiggrin:

[Peelee]

So the hammer? Is it going to magically appear in Durkon's hand or is that a loose plot thread created by Elan's theatrics?

Page 2, panel 8 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1173.html). It landed by Durkon's feet. I'm sure if they got Durkon, they got the hammer. It's just out of frame somewhere.

[Resileaf]

Page 2, panel 8 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1173.html). It landed by Durkon's feet. I'm sure if they got Durkon, they got the hammer. It's just out of frame somewhere.

Or if Rich doesn't want Durkon to have such a powerful artifact for the future, it will be claimed by the church.

An unforgivable crime towards a PC.

[hroþila]

Nice of Elan to facilitate one last scene with Hilgya, presumably.

[Mad Humanist]

Page 2, panel 8 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1173.html). It landed by Durkon's feet.

Yeah I know that.


I'm sure if they got Durkon, they got the hammer. It's just out of frame somewhere.

Sounds plausible but we don't know for certain as far as I can see.

[Lkctgo]

Hmmm now I'm imagining a group of high level gatecrashers to these events. For e.g. a party of 6 will have 5 people use domination effects (get petrified), 1 breaks enchantment (gets petrified), they do this continuously until everyone is dominated.

[ratfox]

"Certified bardic genius" :smallbiggrin:

[gallagher]

Yes, certified bardic genius. It is indeed a perfect chapter break for the circumstances. Now I feel better that all my OOTS friends are safe for the moment and everything worked as best it could for now. Marvelous use of stage and surroundings, Elan. You deserve a trophy.

Great comic, as usual!

[Schroeswald]

Elan gets some respect, maybe he and Haley will retire to the dwarven lands to be with those who respect him (and she who Haley respects).

[JumboWheat01]

Rockin' that Freedom.

[Psyren]

Elan and "genius" are two words I never expected to see juxtaposed in this comic.

[Lyracian]

Is that the end of "Utterly Dwarfed"? Will Elan be right...

[NobleCuriosity]

While I don’t think it beats Elan’s country music Song of Freedom (“http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0890.html”) (which, in my opinion, is a serious contender for the funniest single panel in the entire strip), that hippie song of freedom panel was pretty sweet. I like how Rich is giving us some genre clues for how these songs actually sound.

Edit: Forgive my ignorance, but how do I link comics? The forum rules don’t say how. I’m on mobile right now, if that matters.
Edit 2: Thanks, Fyraltari. But it still doesn’t seem to work. It displays link-text formatting, but it links to a “server not available page” regardless of whether I include the http:// or not. Do you know what’s up with that?

[C_Myriel]

Rules are fuzzy on what spell effects end when the caster is destroyed vs. what aren't, so it could be a legitimate inconsistency. It's also possible that when Durkon's personality took back control of the vampire body, he dismissed the Dominate effect as a free action at the same time dropped the Anti-Life Shell and let Belkar stab him.

RAW is pretty clear afaik, spells don't automatically end upon the death of the caster unless they their duration is Concentration (as a caster obviously can't concentrate on anything if they are dead). Dominate Person lasts 1 day per caster level, and in addition since it does not have (D) in its duration, Durkon* would have needed to cast dispel magic (albeit auto-succeeding on a dispel check) to break the spell.

That said, the comic isn't following DnD rules to the letter. The above interaction with Dominate Person is (imo) dumb and very counterintuitive.

[Rogar Demonblud]

We probably still have twenty-ish strips of concluding all the current plot, setting up the situation for the next book, and giving us an end-of-book twist.We have eight or nine pages left, given the numbers Rich gave us.


I doubt it. Presumably they moved back to the temple to make the next couple of winding-down strips work better, this strip doesn't feel like a good "end of book" strip to me.It's not the end of the book, it's the end of this Round (i.e., chapter).


Elan and "genius" are two words I never expected to see juxtaposed in this comic.

Ever Google "Jar Jar, you're a genius!"? Context changes many things.

[Ruck]

Yeah I know that.



Sounds plausible but we don't know for certain as far as I can see.

No, we don't know for certain, but why on Earth would they leave it behind? We don't see every little thing the characters do, and it makes a lot more sense to assume they will not do things like "leave valuable equipment behind for no reason."

[KorvinStarmast]

Reasons to love this strip:

1. Jenna in the spotlight. Nice.
2. The last panel. That got a big old grin out of me. :smallbiggrin:

Thanks, Giant!

[Aidan]

Great comic
To quote an episode of Doctor Who, "Dear God there's three of them, all my worst nightmares at once" :smallbiggrin:

Looking forward to seeing this arc wrap up.

[gatemansgc]

i like how the dwarf bards have a different style of bardic song of freedom than elan does.

[Crœsos]

"Certified bardic genius" :smallbiggrin:

What I want to know is who is issuing those certificates? A Certificate of Bardic Genius seems too advanced to have picked up at Bard Camp (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1065.html).

[gatemansgc]

wait, did the bards leave the hammer of thunderbolts at the council when they brought durkon back to the temple?

[Hekko]

Yeah I know that.



Sounds plausible but we don't know for certain as far as I can see.

If the hammer got forgotten, Durkon can just swing by to pick it up or ask someone to fetch it. It's within the city limits, not on the bottom of some uncharted mountain valley.

[Mad Humanist]

... it makes a lot more sense to assume they will not do things like "leave valuable equipment behind for no reason."

How long have you been reading the comic?

[Peelee]

wait, did the bards leave the hammer of thunderbolts at the council when they brought durkon back to the temple?
Highly unlikely, I think it's just out of frame because there's no need to show it.

[Crœsos]

... it makes a lot more sense to assume they will not do things like "leave valuable equipment behind for no reason."
How long have you been reading the comic?

A Durkon-related case in point (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0075.html) from fifteen(!) years ago.

[Angband]

Highly unlikely, I think it's just out of frame because there's no need to show it.

I think they must have left the hammer lying in the council room, because you need special gloves to be able to safely hold it, and they couldn't get the gloves off of Durkon's petrified form.

[Peelee]

A Durkon-related case in point (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0075.html) from fifteen(!) years ago.
An excellent point; I doubt this would be re-hashed, since we've already seen it before.:smallamused:

I think they must have left the hammer lying in the council room, because you need special gloves to be able to safely hold it
Source?

[Crœsos]

A Durkon-related case in point (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0075.html) from fifteen(!) years ago.
An excellent point; I doubt this would be re-hashed, since we've already seen it before.:smallamused:

Plus we've had the "party's much stronger/more competent now than when we started out (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1063.html)" declaration recently.

[Fyraltari]

It's his most famous one (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088258/), but I'm a sucker for anything by Christopher Guest.
See now, that sounds like it was meant to clear the confusion but it did not.

While I don’t think it beats <a href=http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0890.html> Elan’s country music Song of Freedom </a> (which, in my opinion, is a serious contender for the funniest single panel in the entire strip), that hippie song of freedom panel was pretty sweet. I like how Rich is giving us some genre clues for how these songs actually sound.

Edit: Forgive my ignorance, but how do I link comics? The forum rules don’t say how. I’m on mobile right now, if that matters.
On computer you can click on the link button just under the text color one and past the url there. On moblile, you have to type "text here" yourself.




Source?
There were gloves (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1154.html) inside the case with the hammer and it is constantly cracking with elictricity.
But then again maybe V prepared Bugsby's Artifact-Retrieving Hand this morning.

[warmachine]

The dwarven bards must have used Song of Freedom, making them at least 12th level. That level is supposed to be rare. Sidgi must have called in a lot of favours to get those kind of reinforcements.

[HandofShadows]

Elan being called a genius...... :smalleek:

[Resileaf]

The dwarven bards must have used Song of Freedom, making them at least 12th level. That level is supposed to be rare. Sidgi must have called in a lot of favours to get those kind of reinforcements.

It's not a favour if it's her family.

[NobleCuriosity]

On computer you can click on the link button just under the text color one and past the url there. On moblile, you have to type "text here" yourself


Thanks, Fyraltari! But it still doesn’t seem to work. It displays link-text formatting, but it links to a “server not available page” regardless of whether I include the http:// or not. Do you know what’s up with that?

[Rezby]

Durkon can just call the hammer to himself. Recall the fight with the worm? (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1160.html)

Also it could double as a nod to a few cinematic movies where a titular character’s hammer flies to him from a long distance (sometimes with a punchline involved)

[facw]

We probably still have twenty-ish strips of concluding all the current plot, setting up the situation for the next book, and giving us an end-of-book twist.
Put me down a half-dozen or fewer strips left. The book is supposed to arrive at Ookoodook 12/2, and printing is not a terribly quick process, so I'd imagine it needs to be completely by some point next month (and probably not the end) at the latest. If we end up with one strip a week, that really doesn't allow many more strips before the book needs to be done. Of course Rich could pile up a cache of strips, but even in that case he presumably wants to finish online before the book is released. 20 strips would take us into next year, unless the posting pace is much higher than we're used to (I wouldn't complain, but that seems like an unfair expectation.

[tyckspoon]

There were gloves (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1154.html) inside the case with the hammer and it is constantly cracking with elictricity.
But then again maybe V prepared Bugsby's Artifact-Retrieving Hand this morning.

In most respects it appears to function like the Hammer of Thunderbolts minor artifact, which doesn't require any special handling. The gloves (Gauntlets of Ogre Power) and belt (Belt of Giant Strength) are needed to use all of its powers, but there isn't anything to suggest they're required just to move it around.

[D.One]

Thanks, Fyraltari! But it still doesn’t seem to work. It displays link-text formatting, but it links to a “server not available page” regardless of whether I include the http:// or not. Do you know what’s up with that?

I know there's a pre-requisite, not sure if a certain forum-member time or a certain number of publications, for linking. At least, I remember there was something along those lines some time ago.

[Peelee]

Edit: Forgive my ignorance, but how do I link comics? The forum rules don’t say how. I’m on mobile right now, if that matters.
Edit 2: Thanks, Fyraltari. But it still doesn’t seem to work. It displays link-text formatting, but it links to a “server not available page” regardless of whether I include the http:// or not. Do you know what’s up with that?
An easier way may be to use the buttons in the toolbars above the text box. The globe with the lemniscate is the hyperlink button, so you can highlight text, hit the button, paste the link, and it'll do it for you.

Also, keep in mind if you do it manually, the quotation marks are important in the URL field but not in the text field. Like this:

=[/COLOR]"testurl"]test text

See now, that sounds like it was meant to clear the confusion but it did not.
*sigh*
Christopher Guest is a filmmaker and actor (and an absolutely genius one, IMO). He specializes in mockumentaries, and This is Spinal Tap is one of his most famous movies; it is about the US tour of a fictional heavy metal band in the '80s, at the height of popularity of the genre. It is especially notable for numerous professional musicians commenting on how accurate certain parts were, despite being played facetiously, as well as several catastrophes happening during the concerts on film actually happening to real life bands (such as U2 and Ozzy Osbourne) later on.

ETA: Oh, also for the three main band members actually writing the songs and playing the instruments to all the band's songs in the movie. Really talented guys.

It's exceptionally good, I highly recommend it. Doubly so if you can manage to get the DVD, as the main castmembers do the audio commentary in character, so it's effectively like having a whole second movie.


There were gloves (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1154.html) inside the case with the hammer and it is constantly cracking with elictricity.
But then again maybe V prepared Bugsby's Artifact-Retrieving Hand this morning.
That doesn't mean it needs the gloves to be held, though. In fact, since it seems to be largely based on the Hammer of Thunderbolts, it very likely does not need the gloves, the gloves merely (well, "merely") provide other benefits.

[brian 333]

Elan's humility is refreshing.

With every new page I am torn between my love of the dwarves and my anxiety to see the rest of the story. I could spend another rl year or two in Firmament and be content, but I am dying to see what comes next.

Which Marvel Universe has two more years of Durkon's family? I want to go there!

[Fyraltari]

Thanks, Fyraltari! But it still doesn’t seem to work. It displays link-text formatting, but it links to a “server not available page” regardless of whether I include the http:// or not. Do you know what’s up with that?
Nope. I never had a problem with it. I recommend asking in the "Board/Site Issue" subforum.

*sigh*
Christopher Guest is a filmmaker and actor (and an absolutely genius one, IMO). He specializes in mockumentaries, and This is Spinal Tap is one of his most famous movies; it is about the US tour of a fictional heavy metal band in the '80s, at the height of popularity of the genre. It is especially notable for numerous professional musicians commenting on how accurate certain parts were, despite being played facetiously, as well as several catastrophes happening during the concerts on film actually happening to real life bands (such as U2 and Ozzy Osbourne) later on.

ETA: Oh, also for the three main band members actually writing the songs and playing the instruments to all the band's songs in the movie. Really talented guys.

It's exceptionally good, I highly recommend it. Doubly so if you can manage to get the DVD, as the main castmembers do the audio commentary in character, so it's effectively like having a whole second movie.
Ah yes, that explains why I've never heard of him.



That doesn't mean it needs the gloves to be held, though. In fact, since it seems to be largely based on the Hammer of Thunderbolts, it very likely does not need the gloves, the gloves merely (well, "merely") provide other benefits.
Look, if you want to handle electrical stuff without protective gear, I'll be ready to call the fire department but I won't help you. Nobody there would know for sure it's safe to touch is what I'm saying.

[Peelee]

Ah yes, that explains why I've never heard of him.
Imean, to be fair, a huge number of Americans haven't heard of him (at least outside of Spinal Tap, and for a lot of people even then). I think he's kind of similar to Albert Brooks; absolute comedic geniuses who have made several brilliant, hilarious movies, but are still criminally underrated and the movies never gained as much popularity as I think they should have.

Look if you want to handle elecrtical stuff without protective gear, I'll be ready to call the fire department but I won't help you. Nobody there would know for sure it's safe to touch is what I'm saying.
Holding an item that can deliver an effect to others hit with it aren't necessarily affected by that effect themselves. In fact, that's almost antithetical to most magic items; if Elan had grabbed the Rod of Enervation from Nale, I doubt he'd be level drained from just holding it, Haley doesn't fly or constantly heal from holding her wands, Lawful Roy would likely suffer no ill effects if he grabbed Elan's Chaos Saber, etc. etc.

[happycrow]

That was adorable, Giant.

[littlebum2002]

So...I'm guessing this is the end of the round? Quick! To the OotS by Page count thread!

Love the bards' admiration of Elan!

Thanks, Rich!


Good to see Elan being appreciated.


Elan gets some respect, maybe he and Haley will retire to the dwarven lands to be with those who respect him (and she who Haley respects).


Elan and "genius" are two words I never expected to see juxtaposed in this comic.

I mean we usually see Elan through the lens of the rest of the Order who, apart from Haley, don't really respect his talent. But remember, Elan is at least level 15, and he may even be 16 since other members of the Order are. That's REALLY high level. In DStP, they spent months looking for a level 13 cleric who could cast Resurrection to no avail.

There is a very good possibility that Elan is the highest level cleric bard in the world. Even if he isn't, he is definitely in the running. It is no surprise that he is considered a genius in his craft.




On computer you can click on the link button just under the text color one and past the url there. On moblile, you have to type "text here" yourself.



I think there is also a way to specifically link to strips of the comic, but I don't know what it is

[ti'esar]

Elan getting to interact with fellow bards is definitely one of those things I never knew I needed until I actually saw it.

[Schroeswald]

There is a very good possibility that Elan is the highest level cleric in the world. Even if he isn't, he is definitely in the running.


I highly doubt Elan is a higher level cleric than Redcloak.

[Peelee]

There is a very good possibility that Elan is the highest level cleric in the world.
......

I'll take that bet!

[tyckspoon]

Lawful Roy would likely suffer no ill effects if he grabbed Elan's Chaos Saber, etc. etc.

The alignment properties (Holy/Axiomatic/Anarchic/Unholy) actually are an exception here - somebody of the opposite alignment holding them suffers a negative level until they drop them. If the Chaos Sabre has Anarchic among its properties Roy would suffer for it.

[littlebum2002]

I highly doubt Elan is a higher level cleric than Redcloak.


......

I'll take that bet!

You guys have forgotten Banjo so easily. He is much more powerful than the Dark One.

[hamishspence]

The alignment properties (Holy/Axiomatic/Anarchic/Unholy) actually are an exception here - somebody of the opposite alignment holding them suffers a negative level until they drop them. If the Chaos Sabre has Anarchic among its properties Roy would suffer for it.

The same would also be true of an Intelligent Weapon whose alignment is opposed to the wielder's.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Thanks, Fyraltari! But it still doesn’t seem to work. It displays link-text formatting, but it links to a “server not available page” regardless of whether I include the http:// or not. Do you know what’s up with that?

You have the wrong text in the URL field. You just need this: www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0890.html

[Schroeswald]

You guys have forgotten Banjo so easily. He is much more powerful than the Dark One.

But Redcloak is still higher level than Elan

[AutomatedTeller]

Is the phrase "certified bardic genius" a joke or not? I mean, Elan is pretty well versed in story-telling... but he's Elan...

Also - gotta love the quick-change rocker clothes for the song. Is there a specific band he's parodying?

[Peelee]

The alignment properties (Holy/Axiomatic/Anarchic/Unholy) actually are an exception here - somebody of the opposite alignment holding them suffers a negative level until they drop them. If the Chaos Sabre has Anarchic among its properties Roy would suffer for it.
I actually did consider that but took a gamble that it probably wouldn't have that property. I tend to shoot from the hip. It works great until it doesn't.:smallwink:

You guys have forgotten Banjo so easily. He is much more powerful than the Dark One.
Haven't forgotten at all, but is his cleric high-leveled?:smallamused:

[Schroeswald]

Is the phrase "certified bardic genius" a joke or not? I mean, Elan is pretty well versed in story-telling... but he's Elan...

Also - gotta love the quick-change rocker clothes for the song. Is there a specific band he's parodying?

Squeaky was completely serious (the most he ever knew of Elan was maybe that Durkon was travelling with a bard that was level with him), Rich was writing a joke though.

[Squire Doodad]

Squeaky was completely serious (the most he ever knew of Elan was maybe that Durkon was travelling with a bard that was level with him), Rich was writing a joke though.

Elan is #12 out of the 10 most powerful Bards on this planet right now.
Of course, there's probably only 1 Bard for every 850 Clerics on a good day, but that's besides the point.


The alignment properties (Holy/Axiomatic/Anarchic/Unholy) actually are an exception here - somebody of the opposite alignment holding them suffers a negative level until they drop them. If the Chaos Sabre has Anarchic among its properties Roy would suffer for it.

Chaos might just be its name though, and have nothing to do with its interactions with various alignments.

[Resileaf]

Chaos might just be its name though, and have nothing to do with its interactions with various alignments.

Roy very clearly (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1124.html) demonstrates feeling a lot of pain from that saber's strike. I can only assume that it's due to the alignment bonus.

[Squire Doodad]

Roy very clearly (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1124.html) demonstrates feeling a lot of pain from that saber's strike. I can only assume that it's due to the alignment bonus.

That could be it, though Roy doesn't seem overly hurt and so I took it as "Elan, please stop attacking me, you're actually competent now".

[Peelee]

Roy very clearly (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1124.html) demonstrates feeling a lot of pain from that saber's strike. I can only assume that it's due to the alignment bonus.
True, it looks like it does have the Anarchic property.

Which, to the original point, means so long as Durkon doesn't have the Grounded alignment, he should be perfectly fine with a weapon imbued with the Lightning alignment.:smalltongue:

[Fyraltari]

Holding an item that can deliver an effect to others hit with it aren't necessarily affected by that effect themselves. In fact, that's almost antithetical to most magic items; if Elan had grabbed the Rod of Enervation from Nale, I doubt he'd be level drained from just holding it, Haley doesn't fly or constantly heal from holding her wands, Lawful Roy would likely suffer no ill effects if he grabbed Elan's Chaos Saber, etc. etc.

I'm not saying that they couldn't have carried it with them (in fact, I am pretty sure they did) but I am saying that I wouldn't touch that thing until I was certain it was safe.

[Squire Doodad]

True, it looks like it does have the Anarchic property.

Which, to the original point, means so long as Durkon doesn't have the Grounded alignment, he should be perfectly fine with a weapon imbued with the Lightning alignment.:smalltongue:

If I remember correctly, Durkon should be fine with a Thunderbolt item as long as he isn't of the Water or Flying alignment. If he is of the Ground alignment, no matter what happens he won't take any damage from it at all!

[Peelee]

I'm not saying that they couldn't have carried it with them (in fact, I am pretty sure they did) but I am saying that I wouldn't touch that thing until I was certain it was safe.
Pshaw, there are at least three mid-to-high level Bards and a high-level Cleric (who'll get better soon!), plus elemental weapons that harm the wielder are rare to say the least. I wouldn't be afraid unless I'd made my character overcautious as a character attribute.

If I remember correctly, Durkon should be fine with a Thunderbolt item as long as he isn't of the Water or Flying alignment. If he is of the Ground alignment, no matter what happens he won't take any damage from it at all!
Nah, you're thinking of Pokemans. Alignment system works on pure opposites.

[valuedmember]

Love the rock (heh) bards.

[Crœsos]

Is the phrase "certified bardic genius" a joke or not? I mean, Elan is pretty well versed in story-telling... but he's Elan...

It's a punchline so it counts as a joke. However I think that Thirden is serious in his assessment. Elan is more devoted to the demands of narrative (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0793.html) than anyone, except maybe Tarquin (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0821.html).

[Squire Doodad]

It's a punchline so it counts as a joke. However I think that Thirden is serious in his assessment. Elan is more devoted to the demands of narrative (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0793.html) than anyone, except maybe Tarquin (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0821.html).

Hey, like father like son, eh? :smallbiggrin:

[Sutehp]

Ok, someone just called Elan a "certified bard genius." To be fair, it's not without (some) justification, but still...

...I'll never be able to unsee that.

[Crœsos]

Another nice touch is Janna using the "spotlight" from the hole in the ceiling during her Song of Freedom. She's obviously learned her stagecraft well.

[Ruck]

How long have you been reading the comic?
Long enough to watch people ask the same questions about how the rest of the Order knows something when "the member of the Order who does know told them off-panel" is the really obvious answer.

[Helluin]

So... um, Durkon’s uncle AND his apprentice are level 12+ bards? That’s more than impressive :smalltongue:

[Ruck]

So... um, Durkon’s uncle AND his apprentice are level 12+ bards? That’s more than impressive :smalltongue:

Clearly Squeaky has gotten much better since Durkon was ordained.

[Crœsos]

So... um, Durkon’s uncle AND his apprentice are level 12+ bards? That’s more than impressive :smalltongue:

Thirden has been a bard since before Durkon was born (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1129.html) (or at least decided to complete his bardic training around the time Durkon was born) so that part isn't so surprising.

[Anansiil]

I'm not going to lie... destoning him in the next area was ingenious and save a ton of time, haha

[KorvinStarmast]

Clearly Squeaky has gotten much better since Durkon was ordained. Twenty years is enought time to get a few levels. :smallcool:

[Squire Doodad]

Twenty years is enought time to get a few levels. :smallcool:

20 years for a few levels? Durkon is in his late 50s. The Order of the Scribble took like, a decade to get to low Epic as full time adventurers on a HUGE world-spanning quest, right? I wouldn't be surprised if Squeaky went from level 2 when Durkon was born to level 14 over the course of 50 years, regardless of whether he did much actual fate-of-the-continent level questing.

Hey, don't tell me you kids have heard of Eugene Greenhilt but not the great bard Silvertongued Squeaky?!

Silvertongued Squeaky and his adventuring party fended off the Blue Dragon of Greendragonsville!

[Fyraltari]

Hey, don't tell me you kids have heard of Eugene Greenhilt but not the great bard Silvertongued Squeaky?! He fought alongside his adventuring party and fended off the Blue Dragon of Greendragonsville!

That was Horace Greenhilt. We've seen Eugene's party and Thirden wasn't on it.

[Squire Doodad]

That was Horace Greenhilt. We've seen Eugene's party and Thirden wasn't on it.

Horace fought off the Red and Green dragons of Greendragonsville.

This is the Blue dragon of Greendragonsville, and therefore fought by an entirely different party :smalltongue:

Edited my post slightly so that its more clear that I'm not saying Eugene's party was the same as Squeaky's.

[bunsen_h]

It seems to me that the hammer wouldn't have been left behind if there was any possible way to bring it -- it got a lot of attention, and isn't likely to have slipped everyone's mind. Unless it could only be moved by wearing those specific gloves, there should have been some way to manipulate it: some kind of levitation, some other gloves, throw a cloak over it, ... .

I suppose it could have a "nobody can lift it unless they are worthy" enchantment.

[ShinigamiKenji]

I can't read all comments right now to see if someone noticed before, but I found it amusing that the Dwarven Song of Freedom has a rock background, with them being dwarves, masters of stoneworking and all that.

[Squire Doodad]

I can't read all comments right now to see if someone noticed before, but I found it amusing that the Dwarven Song of Freedom has a rock background, with them being dwarves, masters of stoneworking and all that.

Elan, on the other hand, is a country boy.

[D.One]

I suppose it could have a "nobody can lift it unless they are worthy" enchantment.

In that case, Sidgi would have brought it.

[The Pilgrim]

Silvertongued Squeaky and his adventuring party fended off the Blue Dragon of Greendragonsville!

Yet his greatest achievement was to defeat the Beige Dragon of Greendragonsville, then succesfully train him into being funny and socially adept.

[D.One]

Just one thing I forgot to say:

I really want this FREEDOM T-Shirt :smallbiggrin::smallcool:

[Squire Doodad]

Yet his greatest achievement was to defeat the Beige Dragon of Greendragonsville, then succesfully trained him into being funny and socially adept.

The Black and White and Red all over Dragon of Greendragonsville was confusing, to say the least.

[The Pilgrim]

The Black and White and Red all over Dragon of Greendragonsville was confusing, to say the least.

And let's not forget when he managed to upgrade the Golden Dragon of Greendragonsville to Platinum Membership.

[D.One]

The Black and White and Red all over Dragon of Greendragonsville was confusing, to say the least.

Oh, that one appeared in many bardic tales...

[Riftwolf]

The Black and White and Red all over Dragon of Greendragonsville was confusing, to say the least.

It ran the Greendragonsville local newspaper if I recall.

[D.One]

It ran the Greendragonsville local newspaper if I recall.

That newspaper is a subsidiary of Fox News (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0539.html).

[mucat]

Boo, boo!
Now we all did what we could do.

[Riftwolf]

That newspaper is a subsidiary of Fox News (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0539.html).

I thought the content was ribald...

[brian 333]

Now we all did what we could do.

Please don't reference old Allman Brothers tunes. Duane's death is still too recent.

[Squire Doodad]

And let's not forget when he managed to upgrade the Golden Dragon of Greendragonsville to Platinum Membership.

To say nothing of when he was awarded the Silver Dragon of Greendragonsville for his prowess with skiing on the White Dragon of Greendragonsville slopes.

Are we out of Dragons?


I thought the content was ribald...

Reynard begs to differ.

[Ruck]

20 years for a few levels? Durkon is in his late 50s. The Order of the Scribble took like, a decade to get to low Epic as full time adventurers on a HUGE world-spanning quest, right? I wouldn't be surprised if Squeaky went from level 2 when Durkon was born to level 14 over the course of 50 years, regardless of whether he did much actual fate-of-the-continent level questing.

Hey, don't tell me you kids have heard of Eugene Greenhilt but not the great bard Silvertongued Squeaky?!

Silvertongued Squeaky and his adventuring party fended off the Blue Dragon of Greendragonsville!

Yeah, but we're talking from the time Durkon was ordained, not the time Thirden became a bard. And we know that Janna was terrible, and if she wasn't, she wouldn't have anything to learn from him (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1087.html), so he couldn't have been very good either.

(Alternately, this could all be taken as a view of how many levels Janna has gained in this time; what did someone say Song of Freedom was, 12th level for Bards?)


Please don't reference old Allman Brothers tunes. Duane's death is still too recent.

That's Lynyrd Skynyrd.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Specifically Sweet Home Alabama.

And yes, the dwarves have to be 12th level bards to use Song of Freedom.

[mjasghar]

Highly unlikely, I think it's just out of frame because there's no need to show it.

More likely we will see a formal acceptance of Durkon back by the temple of Thor with him forgiving them.
Something like it was the will of Thor and all for the best - but since it’s oots with some sarcasm
Durkon then gets handed over the weapon set maybe with some fancy armour as well
We also haven’t had the culmination of the Hilgya Curly situation. So we can only speculate.

[mjasghar]

Ok, someone just called Elan a "certified bard genius." To be fair, it's not without (some) justification, but still...

...I'll never be able to unsee that.

There are many pop stars with honorary degrees in music who are incredibly ... challenged in the mental department
I can see a case for a top bard being like a pop star

[Peelee]

More likely we will see a formal acceptance of Durkon back by the temple of Thor with him forgiving them.
Something like it was the will of Thor and all for the best - but since it’s oots with some sarcasm
Durkon then gets handed over the weapon set maybe with some fancy armour as well
We also haven’t had the culmination of the Hilgya Curly situation. So we can only speculate.

But Durkon was already accepted back by Rubyrock via letter, and it was Odin that caused Durkon to be tossed out, not Thor.

Also, he already has the weapon set (even if you assume he doesn't have the hammer, it doesn't stand to reason that the Church of Thor would either; if anyone brought it back, they'd bring it for Durkon, not the church).

[mjasghar]

But Durkon was already accepted back by Rubyrock via letter, and it was Odin that caused Durkon to be tossed out, not Thor.

Also, he already has the weapon set (even if you assume he doesn't have the hammer, it doesn't stand to reason that the Church of Thor would either; if anyone brought it back, they'd bring it for Durkon, not the church).
In a ceremony or face to face. It would be a New Hope style end scene with medals

[Riftwolf]

Specifically Sweet Home Alabama.

And yes, the dwarves have to be 12th level bards to use Song of Freedom.

It's possible, seeing as Clan Thundershield looks like an adventuring guild more than a family of commoners, Squeaky and Janna could've clocked in enough gig time to get to 12th level. After all, Clan Thundershield has more reason than any other dwarven group not to sit around being dishonorable; they're descended from Helheim escapees.
Also the story needed more Songs of Freedom and it was more thematically fitting the dwarves had it rather than handing over the responsibility to Elan, especially as we've already seen the SoF gag from Elan and it'd miss the chance for a different visual effect and hence a different joke.
I like that the bards use the Sudden Skylight as a spotlight.

[Peelee]

In a ceremony or face to face. It would be a New Hope style end scene with medals

Nobody except the Brewmaster knows he wasnt allowed back. The high priest is away at the Godsmoot.

I dunno, seems unlikely.

[Rogar Demonblud]

And the Brewmaster thought it was a stupid idea, so I doubt he'll mention it to anybody.

[Anarion]

I'm loving the protest signs and clothing changes every time the song of freedom gets used. :smallbiggrin:

[woweedd]

Nice to see someone appreciates Elan's brand of genius.

[Reboot]

Nice to see someone appreciates Elan's brand of genius.

Hey, people notice him in high places! (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1146.html)

[Peelee]

Hey, people notice him in high places! (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1146.html)

As much as Im not a fan of prescriptivism, there's something to be said for the misplaced modifiers argument. :smalltongue:

[Jaxzan Proditor]

Looks like Durkon can keep on rockin’ in the free world.

[Windscion]

It's possible, seeing as Clan Thundershield looks like an adventuring guild more than a family of commoners, Squeaky and Janna could've clocked in enough gig time to get to 12th level. After all, Clan Thundershield has more reason than any other dwarven group not to sit around being dishonorable; they're descended from Helheim escapees.

Frickin' ninja'd. Yeah, these guys are gonna go hardcore after their escape.

[Ruck]

Looks like Durkon can keep on rockin’ in the free world.

We've gotten Elan's country-song freedom and Thirden and Janna's protest-rock freedom. I hope the next Song of Freedom we get is based on George Michael's "Freedom! '90".

[Peelee]

We've gotten Elan's country-song freedom and Thirden and Janna's protest-rock freedom. I hope the next Song of Freedom we get is based on George Michael's "Freedom! '90".

https://i.makeagif.com/media/6-23-2015/d1d27g.gif

[understatement]

Elan is the best

[Scarlet Knight]

No, no...Richie Havens to honor the 50th anniversary of Woodstock Rockstock... "FREEDOM"!

https://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/shared/npr/styles/placed_wide/nprshared/201906/178487671.jpg

[brian 333]

Yeah...
That's Lynyrd Skynyrd.

I was successfully repressing the memory of the tragic loss of Ronnie Van Zant until now. Darn you, now I have to listen to Freebird on a 24 hour loop again!

Also, +1 to Aretha's R.E.S.P.E.C.T. for the next time a Song of Freedom is needed.

[bunsen_h]

In that case, Sidgi would have brought it.

That would depend on who qualifies as "worthy". It might mean "an Nth-level cleric of Thor", or "personally approved by Thor".

Am I correct in thinking that the Song of Freedom could be used to restore Bloodfeast the Extreme-inator?

[OctoberRaven]

Headcanon: Thirden and Janna's lutes have the inscription: "This Machine Does 4d8 Damage To Lawful Evil"

[Peelee]

That would depend on who qualifies as "worthy". It might mean "an Nth-level cleric of Thor", or "personally approved by Thor".

Am I correct in thinking that the Song of Freedom could be used to restore Bloodfeast the Extreme-inator?

Apropos of nothing, but I love the username/avatar combo you're rocking.

[Algeh]

I think they must have left the hammer lying in the council room, because you need special gloves to be able to safely hold it, and they couldn't get the gloves off of Durkon's petrified form.


It seems to me that the hammer wouldn't have been left behind if there was any possible way to bring it -- it got a lot of attention, and isn't likely to have slipped everyone's mind. Unless it could only be moved by wearing those specific gloves, there should have been some way to manipulate it: some kind of levitation, some other gloves, throw a cloak over it, ... .

I suppose it could have a "nobody can lift it unless they are worthy" enchantment.

I can't imagine that Roy et al would have let them move Durkon all the way back to the Temple on Elan's say-so based on Bardic Arguments if the hammer could not also be moved.


Elan getting to interact with fellow bards is definitely one of those things I never knew I needed until I actually saw it.

Me too! I am hoping for bonus comics where they all hang out.

I'm also sad that we already have all of the wallpapers, because I'd love a Freedom series...maybe that'll be a Gumroad thing someday.



To say nothing of when he was awarded the Silver Dragon of Greendragonsville for his prowess with skiing on the White Dragon of Greendragonsville slopes.

Are we out of Dragons?



As long as you're willing to drag out obscure supplements and/or Dragon Magazine, we will NEVER run out of dragons...

[Particle_Man]

The dwarven bards must have used Song of Freedom, making them at least 12th level. That level is supposed to be rare. Sidgi must have called in a lot of favours to get those kind of reinforcements.

You mean like paying to resurrect one of the bards and saving his soul from Hel in the price? Because that is a difficult to impossible favour to repay.


Durkon can just call the hammer to himself. Recall the fight with the worm? (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1160.html)

Also it could double as a nod to a few cinematic movies where a titular character’s hammer flies to him from a long distance (sometimes with a punchline involved)

Maybe this is how Curly dies?

[bunsen_h]

Apropos of nothing, but I love the username/avatar combo you're rocking.

Thank you! I've used the handle for a long time (though not much here), but the avatar is new. While I was reading some old forum stuff, I decided that I should try my hand at making my own avatar, and I'm pleased with the way it turned out.

[Anitar]

I hope I'm not the only person who completely and utterly overlooked the contents of the background in the Song of Freedom panel until they were pointed out in this thread.

[Ruck]

https://i.makeagif.com/media/6-23-2015/d1d27g.gif

How many bards in OOTS-world could live up to that, though?

[Peelee]

How many bards in OOTS-world could live up to that, though?

Surely in the entire world there's a couple dozen epic level bards such that they could re-create the Blues Brothers movie. All they need is Matt Lute Murphy, Donald Dire Duck Dunn, Wille Too High AC Hall, Steve the Colonel of the EOB Cropper, Tom Bones & Other Spell Components Malone, Azurite Lou Marini, Alan Mr. Fabulous Dice Rolls Rubin, and Murph and the Arcane Magictones. Plus a handful or two of guest stars, like Scorching Ray Charles.

Is that too much to ask?

[bunsen_h]

Am I correct in thinking that the Song of Freedom could be used to restore Bloodfeast the Extreme-inator?

This leads me to wonder: How high could a Halfling with a +20 Ring of Jumping carry a small lizard? How much damage would an allosaurus, dropped from that height, do to someone underneath?

[BriarHobbit]

Elan is a "certified bardic genius." That is awesome. Hope that they get something, like a Heroes' Feast, to combat the disease that they picked up during their adventures in the South.

[Ruck]

Surely in the entire world there's a couple dozen epic level bards such that they could re-create the Blues Brothers movie. All they need is Matt Lute Murphy, Donald Dire Duck Dunn, Wille Too High AC Hall, Steve the Colonel of the EOB Cropper, Tom Bones & Other Spell Components Malone, Azurite Lou Marini, Alan Mr. Fabulous Dice Rolls Rubin, and Murph and the Arcane Magictones. Plus a handful or two of guest stars, like Scorching Ray Charles.

Is that too much to ask?

In a world where Elan is a "certified bardic genius" (which, still, love it, one of my favorite aside punchlines to the comic ever, and one that made me realize we never have seen how Elan with his fellow bards and how he would be regarded by them), I'm not sure a couple dozen epic-level bards are in supply.

[Fyraltari]

https://i.makeagif.com/media/6-23-2015/d1d27g.gif

Approved. After all, Durkon is on a mission from Thor.

EDIT:

mjasghar, if you want to reply to someone but nobody has posted since you last did I recommend clicking on "quote", typing your answer and then checking the thread. If there is still no new post, then edit your last post and paste your reply in it.

[5crownik007]

I do love me some Freedom.

[Lord of stuff]

So what happened to Durkons hammer? Where is it now?

[Wizard_Lizard]

Freedom!!!

[Jannoire]

Surely in the entire world there's a couple dozen epic level bards such that they could re-create the Blues Brothers movie. All they need is Matt Lute Murphy, Donald Dire Duck Dunn, Wille Too High AC Hall, Steve the Colonel of the EOB Cropper, Tom Bones & Other Spell Components Malone, Azurite Lou Marini, Alan Mr. Fabulous Dice Rolls Rubin, and Murph and the Arcane Magictones. Plus a handful or two of guest stars, like Scorching Ray Charles.

Is that too much to ask?

There are 106 miles to the north pole, the Mechane's got a full balloon of helium, there is half a ration of holy ale, it's underground and Blackwing's wearing sunglasses.

[Schroeswald]

That would depend on who qualifies as "worthy". It might mean "an Nth-level cleric of Thor", or "personally approved by Thor".

Am I correct in thinking that the Song of Freedom could be used to restore Bloodfeast the Extreme-inator?

But uh... would you want to do that right now? Like I know Bloodfeast should be restored, but not on the Mechane, you have to wait until we reach the North Pole and whip him out of the pokeball going “Bloodfeast the Extreme-inator! I choose you!”

[Giscard76]

How long will it be before the Certified Bardic Genius T-Shirt and coffee mugs are on sale

[Morgana]

That made me realize that the polymorph was acually a good thing in the long run, as they would never have been able to transport him to the ship, and fly with him on board with his original form

[Schroeswald]

That made me realize that the polymorph was acually a good thing in the long run, as they would never have been able to transport him to the ship, and fly with him on board with his original form

And it’s easily reversible because V has polymorph, so Belkar on Bloodfeast can fight Oona on Lancer in the final battle.

[pendell]

Well, that answers that mystery. Song of Freedom breaks the domination and the stoning, so Durkon's free to continue his adventure. And that is pretty much the end of the chapter and the story. Looking forward to what comes next!

ETA: I had anticipated it would be more difficult to break the spell of the barriers, but I suppose the security system relies on the fact that any use of magic when the barriers are active will also result in petrification. Actually, I wonder if bardic song counts as "magical" for the purpose of the barrier in the first place?

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Roderick_BR]

Well, Elan IS an experienced bard.

Also, getting him out of the meeting room was a good move to be sure he wouldn't be re=stone, since the meeting was not adjourned, as they said. Better safe than sorry.

[Fyraltari]

I had anticipated it would be more difficult to break the spell of the barriers, but I suppose the security system relies on the fact that any use of magic when the barriers are active will also result in petrification. Actually, I wonder if bardic song counts as "magical" for the purpose of the barrier in the first place?

Since the petrification only lasts until the meeting is adjourned anyway it is just a temporary containment measure until the proper authorities can decide on an appropriate punishment if needed so it makes sense that it isn't a uber-powerful effect.

[Riftwolf]

Just a quick thought; what if the reason for the orange-blue gap is because of the stoning?
Like an Elder inadvertently breaks dwarven law and gets stoned, for some trivial reason like pouring the milk first when making tea. Rather than stop the whole meeting, the council wheel the offender past the blue barrier so the cleric can break enchantment or whatever. Because the offender didn't pass the orange barrier they don't count as having left the meeting or having their vote annulled, and after the brief recess the dwarf is free to return to the meeting, assuming they learn to put the tea-bag in first.
The UK doesn't have a US style Constitution, but if we get round to writing one, Tea-bag First will be in the top five Amendments.

[KorvinStarmast]

Please don't reference old Allman Brothers tunes. Duane's death is still too recent. That lyric is from Sweet Home Alabama, by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Ronnie van Zandt's death in a plane crash was a bit over 40 years ago. Duane died in a motorcycle crash at a crossroad some years before that. Sweet Melissa still makes me cry.

(FWIW, I saw a Skynyrd concert about five years ago where Johnnie led the band whose only original member, Rossington, was still playing guitar).

There are 106 miles to the north pole, the Mechane's got a full balloon of helium, there is half a ration of holy ale, it's underground and Blackwing's wearing sunglasses. Wins thread. :smallbiggrin:
PS: who has the pack of smokes?

[danielxcutter]

Heh, someone mentioned it on TvTropes, but Jenna and Thirden have hippie outfits because Durkon was "stoned". :smallbiggrin:

[redemedic]

I still live. This comic helps me go from day to day. "I can't die today! What if Rich posts another strip tomorrow?":smallfrown:

[woweedd]

I still live. This comic helps me go from day to day. "I can't die today! What if Rich posts another strip tomorrow?":smallfrown:
I'm not joking, you might want to talk to a therapist.

[Rogar Demonblud]

So what happened to Durkon's hammer? Where is it now?

Presumably in the hands of whoever picked it up. There's only about thirty characters not in scene.

[Malloon]

No, no...Richie Havens to honor the 50th anniversary of Woodstock Rockstock... "FREEDOM"!

https://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/shared/npr/styles/placed_wide/nprshared/201906/178487671.jpg

That's what I thought of immediately too. Great song. FREEDOM!

[Tarjei]

New comic is up.

Erm... Apparently it is and I'm guessing the Song of Freedom is featured, but...

For some reason, I can't view -any- image files on the site at all. Any guesses as to why that is? Been like that since the newest comic popped up. (And no, I still haven't had a chance to read it myself. Hence the guess about SoF.)

[Dion]

Also - gotta love the quick-change rocker clothes for the song. Is there a specific band he's parodying?

I think it’s a parody of the “Freedom Rock” commercials from the 80s.

I’ll see if I can pull up a YouTube link...

Edit: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2eGWW8KOQio

[Rogar Demonblud]

Erm... Apparently it is and I'm guessing the Song of Freedom is featured, but...

For some reason, I can't view -any- image files on the site at all. Any guesses as to why that is? Been like that since the newest comic popped up. (And no, I still haven't had a chance to read it myself. Hence the guess about SoF.)

Probably better to ask in the Board Issues (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?25-Board-Site-Issues) forum.

[Breccia]

"Freedom, freedom, freedom, you gotta give what you take ... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaEjDk3lgcI)"

:elan:Thor knows you was just a young dwarf,
Didn't know what you wanted to doooooooo
You were every one-armed ma's pride and joy,
And I guess it was enough for you
To join the church? Thrown out in the lurch?
Brand new armor and a quest to search
For a lich with a fighter huuuuu....
(...man)

But today the way you played the game was not the same,
No way!
And we got to get you freeeeeeeeeeeee!

I think there's something that you know,
I think there's a path you had to show,
There's something deep inside of you,
There's rules you stuck to true,
Take back your flesh from petrify,
Take back your hammer from the sky,

While the laws should always be spoken,
Sometimes, like ceilings, they have to be broken!

All we have to dooooo, now,
Is take these stone and make you move, somehow.
All we have to tellllllll,
Is that you belong to Thor, and you don't belong to Hel!
Yeah yeah!

Freedom!
Freedom!
Freedom!
We gotta sing it for Durkon's sake!
Freedom!
Freedom!
Freedom!
We gotta sing it for Durkon's sake!

That's what you get!
That's what you get!
That's what you...what?

:belkar:No.

:elan:...don't let the sun go down, Loki?

:belkar:No.

:elan:Careless whiskers?

:belkar:We are done here.

[Squire Doodad]

:elan:Thor knows you was just a young dwarf,
Didn't know what you wanted to doooooooo
You were every one-armed ma's pride and joy,
And I guess it was enough for you
To join the church? Thrown out in the lurch?
Brand new armor and a quest to search
For a lich with a fighter huuuuu....
(...man)

But today the way you played the game was not the same,
No way!
And we got to get you freeeeeeeeeeeee!

I think there's something that you know,
I think there's a path you had to show,
There's something deep inside of you,
There's rules you stuck to true,
Take back your flesh from petrify,
Take back your hammer from the sky,

While the laws should always be spoken,
Sometimes, like ceilings, they have to be broken!

All we have to dooooo, now,
Is take these stone and make you move, somehow.
All we have to tellllllll,
Is that you belong to Thor, and you don't belong to Hel!
Yeah yeah!

Freedom!
Freedom!
Freedom!
We gotta sing it for Durkon's sake!
Freedom!
Freedom!
Freedom!
We gotta sing it for Durkon's sake!

That's what you get!
That's what you get!
That's what you...what?

:belkar:No.

:elan:...don't let the sun go down, Loki?

:belkar:No.

:elan:Careless whiskers?

:belkar:We are done here.

...
Beautiful. Just...so...beautiful

[Ruck]

See, Peelee, Breccia gets it.


So what happened to Durkons hammer? Where is it now?

Hammerspace, obviously.

[Peelee]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2eGWW8KOQio
IS THAT FREEDOM ROCK?!?

See, Peelee, Breccia gets it.

You better think, think about what you're trying to do to me. Yeah, think. Let your mind go, let yourself be free.

[TheNecrocomicon]

:elan:Thor knows you was just a young dwarf,
Didn't know what you wanted to doooooooo
You were every one-armed ma's pride and joy,
And I guess it was enough for you
To join the church? Thrown out in the lurch?
Brand new armor and a quest to search
For a lich with a fighter huuuuu....
(...man)

But today the way you played the game was not the same,
No way!
And we got to get you freeeeeeeeeeeee!

I think there's something that you know,
I think there's a path you had to show,
There's something deep inside of you,
There's rules you stuck to true,
Take back your flesh from petrify,
Take back your hammer from the sky,

While the laws should always be spoken,
Sometimes, like ceilings, they have to be broken!

All we have to dooooo, now,
Is take these stone and make you move, somehow.
All we have to tellllllll,
Is that you belong to Thor, and you don't belong to Hel!
Yeah yeah!

Freedom!
Freedom!
Freedom!
We gotta sing it for Durkon's sake!
Freedom!
Freedom!
Freedom!
We gotta sing it for Durkon's sake!

That's what you get!
That's what you get!
That's what you...what?

:belkar:No.

:elan:...don't let the sun go down, Loki?

:belkar:No.

:elan:Careless whiskers?

:belkar:We are done here.

To its (il)logical conclusion ... impressive. Most impressive.

[Wizard_Lizard]

:elan:Thor knows you was just a young dwarf,
Didn't know what you wanted to doooooooo
You were every one-armed ma's pride and joy,
And I guess it was enough for you
To join the church? Thrown out in the lurch?
Brand new armor and a quest to search
For a lich with a fighter huuuuu....
(...man)

But today the way you played the game was not the same,
No way!
And we got to get you freeeeeeeeeeeee!

I think there's something that you know,
I think there's a path you had to show,
There's something deep inside of you,
There's rules you stuck to true,
Take back your flesh from petrify,
Take back your hammer from the sky,

While the laws should always be spoken,
Sometimes, like ceilings, they have to be broken!

All we have to dooooo, now,
Is take these stone and make you move, somehow.
All we have to tellllllll,
Is that you belong to Thor, and you don't belong to Hel!
Yeah yeah!

Freedom!
Freedom!
Freedom!
We gotta sing it for Durkon's sake!
Freedom!
Freedom!
Freedom!
We gotta sing it for Durkon's sake!

That's what you get!
That's what you get!
That's what you...what?

:belkar:No.

:elan:...don't let the sun go down, Loki?

:belkar:No.

:elan:Careless whiskers?

:belkar:We are done here.

I... I have no words...

[Jannoire]

Just a quick thought; what if the reason for the orange-blue gap is because of the stoning?
Like an Elder inadvertently breaks dwarven law and gets stoned, for some trivial reason like pouring the milk first when making tea. Rather than stop the whole meeting, the council wheel the offender past the blue barrier so the cleric can break enchantment or whatever. Because the offender didn't pass the orange barrier they don't count as having left the meeting or having their vote annulled, and after the brief recess the dwarf is free to return to the meeting, assuming they learn to put the tea-bag in first.
The UK doesn't have a US style Constitution, but if we get round to writing one, Tea-bag First will be in the top five Amendments.

I guess, drinking tea instead of beer would be against the law as well...



Wins thread. :smallbiggrin:
PS: who has the pack of smokes?

Thanks. ^^
I thought hard on the smokes, but no major character who was shown smoking came to my mind.
Lien smoked in the Gdgu, but she's not around.


Hammerspace, obviously.

So, when is the hammer?

Edit : most favorite discussion thread, ever!

[jwhouk]

STOP!



...Hammer time.


(Dohm-da-da-dom, da-dom, da-dom) "Can't touch this..."

[Schroeswald]

Thanks. ^^
I thought hard on the smokes, but no major character who was shown smoking came to my mind.
Lien smoked in the Gdgu, but she's not around.

Curly smoked away.

[KorvinStarmast]

Curly smoked away. Curly the Vampire who war running away from Hilgya? (So "smoked" means going into mist form? :smalleek: )

[Schroeswald]

Curly the Vampire who war running away from Hilgya? (So "smoked" means going into mist form? :smalleek: )

Eh, it’s close enough for me to make a joke about it.

[KorvinStarmast]

Eh, it’s close enough for me to make a joke about it. Just noted the white text ...

[bunsen_h]

Curly the Vampire who war running away from Hilgya? (So "smoked" means going into mist form? :smalleek: )

Out of curiosity, can a vampire in mist / smoke form kill someone by asphyxiation?

[Rogar Demonblud]

Not by RAW. They can neither attack nor be attacked (except for exceptions A, B, C, 5, 6, Sigma, Tau, etc).

[bunsen_h]

I was looking at Belkar's reaction in panel 7 of strip 1175 -- I'm sorry, but I don't yet have the standing to post links -- to Curly misting out, and wondering if someone who's already having breathing difficulty might be pushed over the edge by having to breathe diluted vampire along with the air. From which it might follow that a vampire might be able to sort of concentrate itself in mist form in someone's lungs. It wouldn't be an attack, exactly, but might cause harm sort-of-mundanely.

But if The Rules say otherwise, I won't dispute the point. :smallsmile: Can mist-form vampire be bottled, or otherwise partitioned and contained? I can imagine that "vampire mist" might be a useful potion ingredient or useful for other magical purposes.

[Fyraltari]

That's not Curly, that's the Likeable Deathworm poofing out of this plane of existence. Curly already passed through, as evidenced by her trail above Elan's head in the panel directly to the left.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Yes. Trapping the mist in a forcecage box or resilient shield are two popular ways of locking the vampire down, either to wait out the two hours before dissolution after dropping them to 0HP or just run out the clock until dawn.

[bunsen_h]

That's not Curly, that's the Likeable Deathworm poofing out of this plane of existence. Curly already passed through, as evidenced by her trail above Elan's head in the panel directly to the left.

Ah, got it. I'd misinterpreted the dark-violet smoke from the Deathworm as being the mist form of Curly. In retrospect, that doesn't make sense.


Yes. Trapping the mist in a forcecage box or resilient shield are two popular ways of locking the vampire down, either to wait out the two hours before dissolution after dropping them to 0HP or just run out the clock until dawn.

Perhaps I was unclear. Is it possible to split that mist into multiple parts? Though if all of the mist simply goes away after a couple of hours, it may not be practically relevant. Unless it's possible to do some kind of stasis on the bottle? I remember, back in the day, having a magic user set up an about-to-detonate device, getting a gelatinous cube to surround that, then using Sepia Snake Sigil (IIRC) to get a temporal stasis on the gelatinous cube. It was a doomsday device, of sorts.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Dividing the mist into parts isn't possible by the rules. As for the other part of your post, sounds like using an iron flask.

[Fish]

In other words, how much mist can Miss Mistform miss if Miss Mistform must miss mist?

Miss Mistform can miss as much mist as Miss Mistform must miss if Miss Mistform’s mist must be mussed.

[KorvinStarmast]

In other words, how much mist can Miss Mistform miss if Miss Mistform must miss mist? Misterfully put. :smallbiggrin:

[St Fan]

I remember, back in the day, having a magic user set up an about-to-detonate device, getting a gelatinous cube to surround that, then using Sepia Snake Sigil (IIRC) to get a temporal stasis on the gelatinous cube. It was a doomsday device, of sorts.

As a sepia snake sigil need to be read, and a gelatinous cube isn't literate, that just couldn't have worked at all.

But then again, most "clever ideas" by PCs fall into the "not thinking it through" category by default.

Note that the smoky confinement spell (Complete Mage) is much more useful for this kind of things.

[KorvinStarmast]

As a sepia snake sigil need to be read, and a gelatinous cube isn't literate, that just couldn't have worked at all. Not sure what edition they were referring to. Back in the day could have referred to a pre WoTC D&D time ....

[St Fan]

Not sure what edition they were referring to. Back in the day could have referred to a pre WoTC D&D time ....

True, sepia snake sigil got nerfed a lot by the successive editions.

[Fish]

Misterfully put. :smallbiggrin:
Spoken like a master mystic who must have amassed the most mist.

[Fyraltari]

In other words, how much mist can Miss Mistform miss if Miss Mistform must miss mist?

Miss Mistform can miss as much mist as Miss Mistform must miss if Miss Mistform’s mist must be mussed.Misterfully put. :smallbiggrin:
Hmm, something is amiss here.

[Schroeswald]

Hmm, something is amiss here.

I think you meant something is amist here!

[Squire Doodad]

I think you meant something is amist here!

I suspect you have mist the point.





*rimshot*

[bunsen_h]

True, sepia snake sigil got nerfed a lot by the successive editions.

This was the version from Unearthed Arcana when that book was first released. I don't have the book, but as I recall, the spell could be written as a symbol, or could be cast directly on a creature.

I may be misremembering that it was SSS, but it was definitely some kind of time-stop effect that could be cast on a creature, and the creature could be seen within, albeit with some distortion. SSS is the only thing that I can think of that would fit. It was one of several spells from that source that -- used creatively -- were much too powerful for their supposed levels.

[Riftwolf]

I suspect you have mist the point.
*rimshot*

Perhaps they missed a mister?
Take these broken wiiiiiiiiiiiiings

[bunsen_h]

This was the version from Unearthed Arcana when that book was first released. I don't have the book, but as I recall, the spell could be written as a symbol, or could be cast directly on a creature.

Ah, {Scrubbed}, page 56. The stasis lasts indefinitely "until the caster releases the dweomer or until a dispel magic spell does so", there's no duration limitation on how long the glyph remains active once it's drawn, and it can be drawn on a surface to be triggered when it's "touched or gazed upon". One could wallpaper a room with them. Got spell resistance? How many rolls until you fail one?

[Squire Doodad]

Ah, {Scrub the post, scrub the quote} The stasis lasts indefinitely "until the caster releases the dweomer or until a dispel magic spell does so", there's no duration limitation on how long the glyph remains active once it's drawn, and it can be drawn on a surface to be triggered when it's "touched or gazed upon". One could wallpaper a room with them. Got spell resistance? How many rolls until you fail one?

I love it when the only thing stopping you from cracking the game open with a +5 Vorpal Sledgehammer is having to ask the DM if they don't mind that you stock up on scrolls :smallbiggrin:

[Rogar Demonblud]

Given the XP requirements for making scrolls back then, the GM should say no to stocking up on your own, unless you've made a new sheet for each level and saved the old ones. Unlike later editions, you can lose levels from spending too much XP.

[bunsen_h]

Given the XP requirements for making scrolls back then, the GM should say no to stocking up on your own, unless you've made a new sheet for each level and saved the old ones. Unlike later editions, you can lose levels from spending too much XP.

At that time, there wasn't an XP cost to making scrolls, or at least there was nothing in the DMG about it. It was time-consuming and expensive in terms of ingredients.

As for the Sepia Snake Sigil specifically, one could cast it on a piece of paper (or other small item), stuff the paper/whatever away someplace, and then pull it out and display it or stick it up on a wall or whatever. Not quite as good as a scroll, but much less trouble and expense. As I said, for a 3rd-level spell, it was grossly overpowered.

[Squire Doodad]

Perhaps they missed a mister?
Take these broken wiiiiiiiiiiiiings

It's a myistery

[Lorkas]

So what happened to Durkons hammer? Where is it now?
It's clearly in hammerspace.

[Ruck]

It's clearly in hammerspace.

If this is anyone other than Steve Allen, you're stealing my bit!

[Wizard_Lizard]

It's a myistery

I believe that you mean... ... mistery

[Squire Doodad]

I believe that you mean... ... mistery

But.

I did.

What do you think is in that weird empty space between the y and the s? :smallwink:

[Wizard_Lizard]

But.

I did.

What do you think is in that weird empty space between the y and the s? :smallwink:

I mist've mist that.

[F.Harr]

Especially with Belkar right there!