OOTS #509 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[Shades of Gray]

Half-Orc

I toldja!

[wojonatior]

:smallfurious: YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE MYSTERIES OF MY HEART!!!
AWESOME COMIC:smallbiggrin:

[Sweet]

Aaaaaaand its official. New favorite character.

[Vox]

So, unseen villain wasn't Mr. Scruffy, after all....

Dang. That would have been funny.

Great comic as always. Another reason not to use underage assassins....especially impressionable female ones.....

And honestly, what a pint-sized demon. Dude, punt the red midget or something and get on with life. I was expecting something more....red letter worthy......

[prongs43]

So that's the mysterious person who speaks red on black text? Didn't expect him to be so small; great little twist there.

Great comic!

[Lira]

Great comic. It certainly answers a lot of questions. :smallwink:

[Sc00by]

Is Therkla Thog's sister then? I mean they must be they are both Half Orcs?

hehe :wink:

Great comic! Me Like

(though I'm only commenting cos I'm actually online as it's posted...)

[SteveDJ]

Wow, this is the first time a new comic has appeared while I've been browsing the boards.

And I must say, great comic at that! We finally learn about the mystery voice...

[lipe44]

Wow, that certainly change a lot of things... The red in black guy wasnt that great after all...

[rankrath]

and once again, you ruin twenty pages worth of debate over both Therka and the imp. Great comic, as usual.

[Starlong]

So the big bad red bold text turns out to be "little one"... Nice :smallsmile:

[Setra]

As always, funny.

[Tobimaro]

Imps are rather over-rated.

And here's to hope that Therkla gets to be the one who goes after Elan. Will Haley get a rival? :smallwink:

[Bitzeralisis]

1) What? He was just a tiny flying demon/devil thing?

2) Daimyo also seems a lot more arrogant than last time he appeared.

and 3) Elan's charisma has gone to Therkla's head.

[warmachine]

I do wonder what the red devil is and what its relationship with Daimyo is. I guess we'll find out later.

[jmucchiello]

Big talk from -- what an imp?

I suppose the red outline indicate a pip-squeaky voice. :)

[sethdarkwater]

I strangley want to see the Therkla and Elan thing go somewhere. I said it before and i'll say iyt again, Therkla's probably thog's sister.:smallwink:

[Ezlo]

Heh, good stuff. I think I have a new favorite quote in the last panel.:smallbiggrin:

[Shatteredtower]

That certainly answers a lot of questions. I also enjoyed it. Thank you.

[[Insert Neat Username Here]]

It's about time we saw Therkla's face.

Kubota must have a terrible sense motive modifier.

[Warlord JK]

So, unseen villain wasn't Mr. Scruffy, after all....
And honestly, what a pint-sized demon. Dude, punt the red midget or something and get on with life. I was expecting something more....red letter worthy......

Its called irony my friend, one of the author's greatest tools.
It also makes damn good punch lines without words too :smallbiggrin:

[caboose117]

diaries are for wusses! real assasins must use the blood of those killed!

[chionophile]

I think Therkla is my new favorite character.

ETA: I see that's already been said. Oh well, there's no reason she can't be everyone's new favorite character.

[Naihal]

"I am salutatorian - no more!"

Good stuff.

[Water_Walker]

See there it is direct proof that therkla is a Half Orc

[Yendor]

I think Therkla will need the mask if she's going to "distract" Elan...

[Yendor]

diaries are for wusses! real assasins must use the blood of those killed!

Gotta write with something, I guess.

[Surfing HalfOrc]

An IMP? Bah! I was hoping for someone "bigger!"

Oh well, at least Therkla is a Half-Orc. :smallbiggrin: I womcer if she knows how to surf or needs "private instruction!"

[humanpylon]

awwwwwwwwwww somebody's smitten.

And gotta love the teeny tiny imp/quasit/fiendish familiar with the big booming red voice.

[silvadel]

Therkla is homely... I was expecting better or worse. Maybe both (good looking with scar). Not just 7 charisma half-orc looks.

As for the devil, big things can come in small packages. He doesnt have to be low on the totem pole.

In a lot of ways the noble is a lot worse than Xykon or Redcloak or really any of the other villians... He is 100% completely at ease with the devil in red, and is more interested in getting some roe than he is in the lives of anyone. Very vile but lawful evil is he.

[Vulion]

Bwahahahahaha!

An assasin with a diary and I love that evil being!

[Valcrist7211]

This comic forced me to register.

I now have the proof I needed.

And now, the accusation:

. . .

Rich has bugged my games!!!

I swear, my best player was a female half-orc ninja in my most succesful campaign. She even fell in love with a blond bard!

How could you, Rich?

All that aside, nicely done you!

[SPoD]

I don't understand why anyone would think the imp/demon's size matters at all. He cast Charm Monster "a few dozen times", and that's NOT an imp ability. Neither is telepathy that can reach from one ship to another.

Sounds like he's a little more magically potent than the standard-issue imp.

[Human Paragon 3]

Yes, it is taking the giant a while to get around to updates, but with comics as good as this one, he should take all the time he needs. Exceptional comic today, Rich!

You don't understand the mysteries of my heart!!!

[dragongirl13]

"You don't understand the mysteries of my heart!" Priceless.

An imp! Oh, man, when I saw that my sides almost burst for laughing!

[humanpylon]

I don't understand why anyone would think the imp/demon's size matters at all. He cast Charm Monster "a few dozen times", and that's NOT an imp ability. Neither is telepathy that can reach from one ship to another.

Sounds like he's a little more magically potent than the standard-issue imp.

Good point. Anyone have any speculation on what it could be? I don't have my monster manual handy.

[Legendary]

I would like to note that anyone who complains about the lateness of comics for this series again will have this comic shoved down their throat.

IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!

[SPoD]

Good point. Anyone have any speculation on what it could be? I don't have my monster manual handy.

Well, it could be as simple as, "An imp with 12 levels of sorcerer/warlock/psion/whatever". Which would definitely be a challenge to the heroes.

[humanpylon]

So Therkla's been Kuboto's or whatever his name is assassin for 7 years, and yet she's young enough to fall for a 21 year old. Does that mean she graduated ninja school somewhere between say 12 and 18? Maybe closer to 12 judging by her swooning reaction?

[Sc00by]

I think Therkla is my new favorite character.

ETA: I see that's already been said. Oh well, there's no reason she can't be everyone's new favorite character.

She's not my favourite character... :wink:

[dakiwiboid]

I don't think Therkla's homely at all. She's quite cute, actually, if you can overlook the fangs, and she's such a sensitive girl. I'll bet the imp or whatever it is really does have a diary, too.

[holywhippet]

Imps can cast suggestion once each day - convincing some scrags could be possible if he spoke to their leader although that isn't what he said.

I'm thinking this demon/devil could be a result of Sabine's work. Her masters might be trying to influence the world in order to get control of the gates or the Snarl.

[humanpylon]

Well, it could be as simple as, "An imp with 12 levels of sorcerer/warlock/psion/whatever". Which would definitely be a challenge to the heroes.

That's a perfect way for Rich to have his monsters be able to do whatever he wants! Give them class levels! That way nobody can say "Hey (insert monster here) can't do that!" unless classes can't do it either.

[Hood]

The strip made me chuckle, but I didn't find it hilarious. All the revelations and plot advancement made my day, though. I was especially impressed with how Rich didn't make a big deal out of any of the mysteries that were revealed, even though there were about 5 answered in this comic. I know I wouldn't be able to resist a !drama! moment if I were him.

[KBF]

Oh-ho-ho, that's our Rich!

[Sequinox]

I thought that was hilarious... "Salutatorian NO MORE!" "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE MYSTERIES OF MY HEART!"

On another note, I love the imp. What a great build-up to tension (will he be Lord Tyrinar?) and a huge (but awesome) let-down. :smallbiggrin:

[jmaccabeus]

Okay, that's it, I think I've fallen in love with Therkla. Her method of becoming Valedictorian is probably the best way of doing it I have ever seen. :smallbiggrin: Too bad she's got a crush of Elan now... :smallredface:

Plus, the double reveal of what people have constantly been debating seems tailor-made to what has been happening around here. Not that it will slow down the speculation at all, of course.

Probably my favourite strip in a loooong time.

[Abjurer]

Brilliant as always.

An imp. I love it.
No one ever expects an imp. :smallbiggrin:

Rock on, Rich.

[the mysterian]

i expected something tiny actually.

wow, and here i thought rich didn't listen to us :smallwink:

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Okay, that one's done it. Couldn't care less before, but I am now officially on the "Therkla Fan Express" train. :smallbiggrin:

[blackspeeker]

I just have to say, thank the gods it wasn't an aboleth.

[Shadic]

Wow, that monster is vicious looking.

[ref]

Amazing again. Little impy, don't mess with Therkla. I pity the fool that messes with Therkla.

[Secret Agent Man]

My roommate got me hooked on this comic about two and a half months ago, and I sped through the entire series to catch up with the new ones. this one turned out great. Keep 'em coming!

[Kyeudo]

I am always surprised by the posting speed of this board. As for Therkla, she may become the new Thog.

[Mesfens]

The imp is so cute! But eeevil cute.

[hanzo66]

This comic has got me thinking...



Is there an equivalent of MySpace or Livejournal in this universe (maybe for the upper planes I guess)?

[headhoncho]

So Therkla's been Kuboto's or whatever his name is assassin for 7 years, and yet she's young enough to fall for a 21 year old. Does that mean she graduated ninja school somewhere between say 12 and 18? Maybe closer to 12 judging by her swooning reaction?

Half-orcs mature early and have shorter lifespans, IIRC you can play a half-orc PC starting as young as 15.

"I am Salutatorian...NO MORE!" AWESOME LINE!

I love the imp, too. Reminds me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when the big Halloween monster was a couple of inches tall. "Actual size."

HH

[Aerysil]

It's a freaking imp?

[dogmac]

Qarr, a good name for an evil imp. Is it pronounded Caaaar, do you think?

Therkla can hardly still be a teenager if she has been working for him for 7 years. he must have hired her extremely young.

And yes, Elan the MIGHTY warrior. We all knew he was just hiding it behind a facade, right?

[Matuse]

I want to marry Therkla and have many quarter-orc babies!

[johnnyriot999]

I have a prediction where this future-love triangle between Therkla, Elan and an unnamed future participant is headed.

The only solution is the simple love of the cuddly Thog. :smallwink:

[Lizard Lord]

Half-orcs mature early and have shorter lifespans, IIRC you can play a half-orc PC starting as young as 15.



HH

Plus most Ninjas start their training at a very young age.

[Rogue 7]

Kubota's darn stupid. Can't say I'm complaining. Awesome comic.

[dutch508]

once again, outstanding writing.

secrets of my heart...


hee hee hee

[dcviana]

For some strange reason, the way Therkla is drawn, I find her rather attractive (for a strip character of course), even if she's a half-orc.

[Green Bean]

But the most important question remains: where are they going to get the caviar? :smalleek:

[SPoD]

Interesting observation: Kubota (a clearly evil man) also worships the Twelve Gods, as a pantheon. Does this mean that the gods have all alignments covered, or are they all Neutral (allowing any alignment to worship them)?

[Fozzie]

Great comic, very elucidating!
I was getting really annoyed by posts about Therkla or the man behind black-and-red speeches...

Thanks Giant ;)
--P.

[PhallicWarrior]

Concerning Qarr:

I really should have seen that coming.

[JessSoccer]

Uhm... am I the only one who didn't get the title? I mean yea, I sorta do, but they usually register more clearly than that...

[Solara]

Uhm... am I the only one who didn't get the title? I mean yea, I sorta do, but they usually register more clearly than that...

Presumably it's a description of her diary.

[JessSoccer]

Presumably it's a description of her diary.

oooooooooooohhhhh.... right then ..... sorry, I have blond moments sometimes

[David Argall]

I can't say I think much of anything is all that worth the waiting for, but the strip looks to be the best since we got our heads out of the clouds, and possibly since 484.

Therkla No lass looks her best after a long splash in the ocean and about the only way to tell that a stick figure is hot is for one of the other characters to say so. [Now that I think of it, that's true of most comics, no matter how realistic. The female, and often male, form is almost identical from character to character.] Still, I get the impression that Therkla ...ah, may possess some "gnoll" ancestry.
That would fit in some respects. A not particularly attractive Therkla would not get Kubota's attention except as a tool and as an assassin and again not hot, she gets less than her share of other male attention too. So she retains teenage views of romance far longer than most women, not to mention much more vulnerablity to a male she finds attractive.

Imp May be a shrimp and thus of a more powerful type than mere MM1 Imp. Now if it is an imp, maybe with class levels, it is a devil, not demon, and not related to Sabine. A possibility is that Kubota has taken a level or two of wiz and the imp is his familiar.

Future An idea is that Therkla suggests the party investigate the city and see if they can see what is keeping Haley in the city. This may be a direct suggestion from her to Elan or imp may find V and suggest the idea to her and he will then be pushing the others to come along. Either way, the party heads off to the city in a few more strips.

[Bongos]

Therkla doesn't like being second best! Look out Haley!

[Porthos]

Interesting observation: Kubota (a clearly evil man) also worships the Twelve Gods, as a pantheon. Does this mean that the gods have all alignments covered, or are they all Neutral (allowing any alignment to worship them)?

Slight Start of Darkness spoilers...

SoD heavily implies that Rat is evil.

So I would presume that the Twelve Gods have most, if not all, of the alignments covered. Also the gods appear in a Wheel, which also might suggest The Great Wheel of the Outer Planes.

I'll leave it to others to figure out which god is which alignment. :smallamused:

[dish]

To whoever said that all the questions have been answered. For me, at least, they've just been answered with more questions, especially about Qarr.
Is he an imp with class levels (as many seem to think) or something else?

And of course there's the normal question. 'What's going to happen next?' (Can't wait. Brill.)

[FoE]

Guess all those "Therkla is evil Haley" or "Therkla is Redcloak's sister" theories just got shot down the drain.

In the words of Nelson Muntz:

HA HA!

[Porthos]

To whoever said that all the questions have been answered. For me, at least, they've just been answered with more questions, especially about Qarr.
Is he an imp with class levels (as many seem to think) or something else?

Since imps are described in the MM as "often advisors and spies", I'm going with the Imp With Class Levels explanation, myself. :smallsmile:

[*Templar*]

2) Daimyo also seems a lot more arrogant than last time he appeared.


He feels like he's got a lot more going for him now than he did in Azure City. In his mind, success is all but in his grasp.

[blackspeeker]

But the most important question remains: where are they going to get the caviar? :smalleek:

The demon/devil shall charm (comand) the beasts and animals of the sea into giving it up to them.

[docstrange]

diaries are for wusses! real assasins must use the blood of those killed!

Who says it's not?! I bet she dots the "i" s with little hearts of blood.

[fractal]

I have a prediction where this future-love triangle between Therkla, Elan and an unnamed future participant is headed.

The only solution is the simple love of the cuddly Thog. :smallwink:
ewww! thog thinks pretty girls are icky!

Btw, swearing by the Twelve Gods hardly makes Kubota a loyal worshipper. It just demonstrates that he is indeed from the Southern culture.

[Nerd-o-rama]

An Imp! Or possibly a Quasit! With class levels!

Or something bigger that wants to look unassuming...

Also, Therkla is awesome. But I might just have something for poetic ninja-chicks. YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE MYSTERIES OF MY HEART!

[Nightfall]

Therkla has to be a teen-ager. "It's not a crime to keep a journal! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE MYSTERIES OF MY HEART!"

Almost as good as the time my then-fifteen-year-old son yelled at me, "You don't know what I'm going through! YOU'VE NEVER BEEN A TEEN-AGER!" (He admitted to me later he knew it was stupid as soon as he said it!):smallbiggrin:

[SteveMB]

ewww! thog thinks pretty girls are icky!

Not that there's anything wrong with that....

[VetMichael]

NOOOOO!


*covering his eyes* lalalalalala can't see it's not an Aboleth lalalalalalalala


Oh and AWESOME comic as always, Rich! Loved it (even though the Aboleth is drawn COMPLETELY wrong, but hey - it's a stick figure :wink: )

[holywhippet]

Imp May be a shrimp and thus of a more powerful type than mere MM1 Imp. Now if it is an imp, maybe with class levels, it is a devil, not demon, and not related to Sabine. A possibility is that Kubota has taken a level or two of wiz and the imp is his familiar.

When was is established that Sabine is a demon and not a devil?

[FoE]

An IMP? Bah! I was hoping for someone "bigger!"

I think that was Rich's joke on us: while we were all debating about balors and aboleths and elder brains, he was sitting back laughing, knowing that the Big Bad Unseen Monster was just a little imp. :smallbiggrin:

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Hehe. . .hehehe. . .HA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh my gosh I never saw that one coming! Just goes to show that behind every big man there's a little guy pulling the strings! Good thing I wasn't drinking anything at the time.:smallbiggrin:

[Ganurath]

I was drinking frosted flakes.

I do hope that today's comic ensures we don't have to put up with any more of this "Therkla is Haley" nonsense and similiar theories. It also ensures that not all half-orc in Richverse use the same type of stereo.

[Covenantwgw]

Great comic! Well worth the wait!

Now a few observations. The man who would be king is obviously not worthy of the crown. He cares about opulance more than his own people. He'll come to a sticky end I hope.

Elan has a fan club aparently that doesn't have anything to do with the forums. :D

The little guy kind of reminds me of the snake thing that lives in the purse in "My stepmother is an alien"

[BigBooter]

I don't understand why anyone would think the imp/demon's size matters at all. He cast Charm Monster "a few dozen times", and that's NOT an imp ability. Neither is telepathy that can reach from one ship to another.

Sounds like he's a little more magically potent than the standard-issue imp.

Amen, Spod! This is where I'm supposed to say something about size not mattering, methinks... :smallwink:

The best villians are the little dudes with Napoleon complexes, anyway... makes me ask, who is the lil' guy serving, eh... :smallamused:

[BigBooter]

The strip made me chuckle, but I didn't find it hilarious. All the revelations and plot advancement made my day, though. I was especially impressed with how Rich didn't make a big deal out of any of the mysteries that were revealed, even though there were about 5 answered in this comic. I know I wouldn't be able to resist a !drama! moment if I were him.

Awww shucks, didn't you find the ninja graduation at least a *little* bit hilarious?

Personally, I love the way Giant-meister plays with the ninja stereotype almost as mercilessly as he tore apart the paladin stereotype :smallbiggrin:

As always, the Giant is in the finest form... more sublime than melting dry ice, more prestidigious than a shell game, more cunning than a very cunning fox, who graduated in honours with a major in cunning from Cunnington University... gooooo Giant!!! :smallbiggrin:

[CrystaCub]

Not like I don't love any of the other comics that have come out or will ever come out (No I'm not obsessive *twitch*) I do like this one, I laughed, alot...

Am I the only one who's reaction to the revealing of the imp thing as being, and I quote:
:haley: Teehee it's so tiny
(Yes, I actually said that am busted into more giggles)

Though I seem to share similar thoughts/reaction on that Therkla is a teenager (or at the very least holds that mindset)

So now we know that Therkla is a half orc, an Imp named Qarr is behind the black and red speech and Kabuto hungers for fish eggs. I swear the discussions you people where making about Therkla and Qarr where pretty interesting until I got bored and lurked in other areas.

Oh and if you haven't noticed am a new face around these parts, so let the torment begin. *scurries off to other topics*:smallamused:

=^.^=

[holywhippet]

I think that was Rich's joke on us: while we were all debating about balors and aboleths and elder brains, he was sitting back laughing, knowing that the Big Bad Unseen Monster was just a little imp. :smallbiggrin:

Or looks like a little imp. Imps by themselves can polymorph - although I think they can't go more than 1 or 2 size categories larger. All demons and devils have telepathy so it could be something substantially larger.

[Blaznak]

It was interesting, that's for sure... I especially enjoyed the advancement scheme to valedictorian!

[RelentlessImp]

Wait. Wait, wait, wait... wait...

Dude... wait...

Wait, wait, wait...

The EVIL RED VOICE is... an IMP!? A friggin' IMP!?

...I now have a character I can identify with in OotS.

[Ganurath]

Wait. Wait, wait, wait... wait...

Dude... wait...

Wait, wait, wait...

The EVIL RED VOICE is... an IMP!? A friggin' IMP!?

...I now have a character I can identify with in OotS.Not so fast, he may be a Quasit.

[Vectner]

Loved It, Ninja School!

[Prowl]

I think that was Rich's joke on us: while we were all debating about balors and aboleths and elder brains, he was sitting back laughing, knowing that the Big Bad Unseen Monster was just a little imp. :smallbiggrin:

I think he gets as many laughs from our bad guesses as we do from the comic...

[Prowl]

Loved It, Ninja School!

What this comic needs is... more cowbell ninjas!

[ref]

Yes, what Face of Evil said is very... Richesque.

[shaddy_24]

Great comic Giant. That was just great. Therkla is a great character, and I hope she stays around for a while. Kabuto is an interesting villian, and the imp looks like he's got a competetive streak. I'm looking forward to seeing this team evil's plans. They may provide an interesting contrast to Xykon and the Linear Guild.

And I wonder if Therkla went to the same Ninja school as the waitress who was working at the restaurant.:smallconfused:

[shot-bya-monk]

great work dude. yay new recurring villen. i wonder if elan will be dumb enough to get get with the half orc...wow sex with a half orc would be odd. im still wanting to know what happend to hayley

[Girl Wonder]

I thought that was hilarious... "Salutatorian NO MORE!"

That was my favorite line, too :) And on a personal note, I am very, very glad she was not Salutatorian at my school :smalltongue:

[maus]

I wish I was the first to say it, but thank you for the strip.

Now, I hope you are feeling better.

[vegetalss4]

thanks you giant. it where awesome
but some one give that girl a better lock. DC 30 is FAR to esay for matters of the Heart:smallwink:

[RyuTakarashi]

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE MYSTERIES OF MY HEART!" -priceless
Comic was worth waiting. Now I expect influx of threads is Qarr a Daemon or Devil

[Fingolfin]

Although this comic probably won't be your favorite one, it will however be interesting to see where it will lead to. Next few comics shall be interesting to see.

[The Bushranger]

...NO ONE expects the Impish Inquisition!!

:smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin:

[Hidalgo]

nice one. last sentence awesome "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE MYSTERIESS OF MY HEART!"

[EvilJames]

So B&R is an imp. Interesting so it may not have knowledge of the gates after all (it's still quite possible that it does) If it does then Sabine is likely a Erinyes rather than a Succubus, if not then we may never know her status.

and yes it is an imp. quasits don't have wings.

[Lumenadducere]

I dunno what happened, I liked Therkla until now, but I just get the feeling that she's going to wind up being dead by the time this arc is over and this whole thing with her and Elan is going to be a waste of time.

Still a great comic, though. I liked the assassination of the valedictorian. Seems to me like (s)he should've been ready for it, though. I mean, valedictorian of a ninja school? Really gotta be on your guard.

[factotum]

I don't know why everyone is assuming Therkla must be very young to react to Elan the way she does. For a start, Elan has 18 Charisma, which means he has sex appeal that would get him burned as a warlock in a typical mediaeval European town :smallwink: . Secondly, she was presumably cloistered away while studying at the ninja college, and since then she's spent 7 years assassinating people for Kubota, so chances are she hasn't had much of a love life over that period.

The question that occurs to ME is--since she's apparently the best Kubota has, why didn't he send her to kill Hinjo during the siege of Azure City? If that plan had succeeded, after all, he would have been celebrating his coronation four months earlier!

[Caractacus]

I like the way Rich introduces characters and whole groups of people that work at cross-purposes to each other (LG, Xykon's group, Kubota), and sometimes even within their groups (Therkla, Thog and, who knows, one day RC?)

It's nice hearing more about them and their motives. If we get more detail about Therkla (and, let's face it, the reference to the diary is pretty much a promise of that), then we can expect a long-running character with some development. :smallsmile:

I just admire Rich's bravery in introducing so many elements to a comic that updates just three times a week - the gaps between dealing with the various groups will be moderately large, and that usually provokes a number of pacing complaints from the more trigger-happy quarters.

Personally, I am more than content to feel that the Richverse is full of competing forces - it makes a big difference and prevents the feeling that one gets in games where the players outrank everything and the world revolves around them. Sometimes that's good, too, but often it leads to sterility.

Go, Therkla!

*Gagging for that new book*

(That's me, BTW; we all know what Therkla is gagging for...:smalltongue: )

[Xandro]

Hehe, new Therkla-stuff! This relatively new character is definitely a high potential to replace Miko as the Über-Topic of this forum. :smallbiggrin:

And it's difficult to estimate the beauty of a stick-figure. From my point of view, she's very cute but not really sexy. But I think it depends how you want you to see her...

[FoE]

The question that occurs to ME is--since she's apparently the best Kubota has, why didn't he send her to kill Hinjo during the siege of Azure City? If that plan had succeeded, after all, he would have been celebrating his coronation four months earlier!

That's a good point, but I think I can offer a few arguments.

1) Because Azure City was under siege at the time, Kubota may have been wary about sending in his top assassin into a war zone, where the likelihood of her being captured or killed was fairly significant. If a couple of low-level subordinates died during the mission, no great loss. But he may have valued Therkla's life a bit more, if only because she has served him for so long.

2) The two ninjas were likely just sent in as a contingency;*should Hinjo have failed to die in battle with the hobgoblins or the rogue that Belkar killed failed in his own assassination attempt, they were present to finish the job.

3) Any good villain knows you never send the high-level minions in before the low-level ones. How else will they eventually gain enough experience in an attempt to foil your evil plans? :smalltongue: :smalltongue: :smalltongue:

[fractal]

That was my favorite line, too :) And on a personal note, I am very, very glad she was not Salutatorian at my school :smalltongue:
Well, as Lumenadducere said, if the valedictorian of a combat-oriented training program couldn't defend himself against attack from one of his classmates, or at least escape, he probably didn't deserve to be valedictorian.

Therkla's lower grade was probably in ethics or some other similarly pointless course anyway.

[Rockphed]

If OotS weren't divine ambrosia in visual form, I would think that I was serving time in Rich's Personal Debate hall where he is always right.

Keep up the good work!

[battleburn]

Wow, this recently happened on "Looking for Group" (http://lfgcomic.com/page/89)
Go small imps with terrifying voices!!

On another note, Therkla really lets her feelings get in the way of her mission. This should be interesting. And Elan will probably totally miss that anything is happening.

[shylocxs]

Therkla is definitely my favorite new character... as opposed to my new favorite character...

What's really cool about her is that she knows how to get ahead in the world!

Clearly, a candidate for Team Evil!

[Anealen]

"Told you! Diary!":smallbiggrin:

Now that we know the actual size of the mysterious creature, what do you think its voice sounds like? Deep as in "from the abyss" or tiny and irritating?

[Athaniar]

So B&R is an imp. Interesting so it may not have knowledge of the gates after all (it's still quite possible that it does) If it does then Sabine is likely a Erinyes rather than a Succubus, if not then we may never know her status.

and yes it is an imp. quasits don't have wings.


Yes they do:
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/demon.htm#quasit

[banjo1985]

Hehe, at least now we've seen Therlka we'll have no more threads about her being Hayley in disguise, that's a merciful by-product if nothing else!

[Ink]

"He's too clever."

Hahahahaha! I'm liking Therkla a lot. They'd actually make a great couple and Elan would have found the only person in the world who thinks he's clever.

[Migodnar]

Hehe, at least now we've seen Therlka we'll have no more threads about her being Hayley in disguise, that's a merciful by-product if nothing else!

I'm sure they won't stop.


YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE MYSTERIES OF MY HEART!

[MrEdwardNigma]

Why would anyone really have thought she was Haley in disguise? She's green!
Also, I sense some sad scene's coming, either for Haley or for Therkla.

By the way, my favorite new character is the imp! There, originality.

[Aristeidis]

Nice comic.
Question: what "it has flowers, hearts and a DC 30 Lock" has to do with the strip? Is it a reference to the diary? And something else, why does it have to be thog's sister? Though possible, this is not a soap opera!:smallbiggrin: don't hate me!

[Elbarad]

Perhaps she could 'distract' Elan, the super effective bodyguard... with a few smootches and let someone else take care of Hinjo.

[TheRiov]

I think you're all headed down the wrong road....


For my money: Thekera would be equally attracted to Nale.... She has the Evil-Haley thing going on (right down to the ponytail) I think that puts her in line for a Sabine replacement in the whole evil oposites scheme. She could hook up with Nale, replace Sabine.

[Mauve Shirt]

NOOOOO!


*covering his eyes* lalalalalala can't see it's not an Aboleth lalalalalalalala

Awww, was someone's theory COMPLETELY wrong? :smallwink:
Everyone told you an Aboleth's writing would be green! :smalltongue:


I think you're all headed down the wrong road....


For my money: Thekera would be equally attracted to Nale.... She has the Evil-Haley thing going on (right down to the ponytail) I think that puts her in line for a Sabine replacement in the whole evil oposites scheme. She could hook up with Nale, replace Sabine.


There's no reason for that to happen!

[Forealms]

Well, there goes the aboleth theory...

Excellent comic, Giant! I am among the list of "Therkla is my New Favorite Character" people now.

Is that an imp? It looks like an imp, but I never knew they had a telepathic connection ability. Or it's just a very talented imp.

[fehler]

Mmmmmm, Therkla.....

I'd flank that.

[Fighteer]

Brilliant comic, Giant. You perfectly combined answering our burning plot questions, busting up our preconceptions, and making us laugh. Poor Therkla - it's hard to be Evil with Elan around. :smallbiggrin:

[16oz]

Great stuff. Random thoughts will now commence.
1) Don't know if I'll ever be able to watch a graduation ceremony again and not think "Will one of those hats being thrown up en masse land on someone in a horribly wrong fashion?"
2) I'm actually glad to see that the imp/quasit/small-yet-cute evil thingy is not some sort of overly powerful evil mastermind. I thought that Xykon filled that role wonderfully and that another of his power level wasn't needed. A lesser hindrance, suitably placed to grant the heroes some xp? Always welcome!
3) Why am I slightly annoyed by the lack of a u after the Q in Qarr's name? I know it's not necessary, and that many words in numerous langauges don't have it, but for some reason it bothers me! *sigh*
4) And lastly, I'm getting this mental picture of a diary being almost unseeable underneath a giant lock and wrapped in massive chains. And a horrible picture of Therkla dying as the boat sinks and she holds onto her diary/anchor without thinking of the consequences.

[Nightfall]

Nice comic.
Question: what "it has flowers, hearts and a DC 30 Lock" has to do with the strip? Is it a reference to the diary? And something else, why does it have to be Thog's sister? Though possible, this is not a soap opera!:smallbiggrin:

Yes, the title's a reference to the diary. I agree, Therkla isn't necessarily Thog's sister (or half-sister or whatever). Are we naive enough to believe there could only be one half-orc family in the OOTS world? (No, we're more savvy than that.)

I think the imp has a high-pitched, annoying voice, sort of like Bobcat Goldthwaite's voice as one of the minions in Disney's "Hercules". And why couldn't the imp be a "NPC with levels"? Qarr could be a wizard or sorcerer whose race just happens to be imp.

[dutch508]

I see the imp having a deep rich voice,

"This...is CNN". "Luke...I AM your father".

because:

a) It would be funny

2) Because I want him too

and in conclusion, PHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHTH...

[Ave]

Why would anyone really have thought she was Haley in disguise? She's green!
Also, I sense some sad scene's coming, either for Haley or for Therkla.

By the way, my favorite new character is the imp! There, originality.

Disguise == change the outlook of oneself. Changing skin colour is significantly easier compared to some other physical attributes.

Poor Haley now faces another evil adversary, as if Sabine wasn't enough.

[sihnfahl]

Wow, this recently happened on "Looking for Group" (http://lfgcomic.com/page/89)
Go small imps with terrifying voices!!
But Hctib Elttil doesn't have a terrifying voice. He's got a high-pitched, squeaky voice ("EEeeeeeeEEEEEE!") that causes people to wince.

[Fighteer]

Disguise == change the outlook of oneself. Changing skin colour is significantly easier compared to some other physical attributes.

Poor Haley now faces another evil adversary, as if Sabine wasn't enough.
Unless Haley gets some kind of Mysterious Journey with a Dramatic Entrance in the next few strips, Elan will have to deal with this particular "entanglement" all by himself. I suppose Therkla could become a recurring character, but we have no particular evidence to suggest that right now.

While we know that Hinjo, Durkon, V, and Elan are important, Rich is using plot elements (nobody can scry on them) to intentionally stretch out the mystery surrounding what's happened to Haley, Belkar, and Roy's corpse over the last three months. As the characters in the strip wonder about them and try desperately to locate or contact them, it increases the dramatic tension.

As much as I respect Rich's storytelling prowess (or maybe because I respect it so much), I highly doubt that he's going to have Haley just "pop up" in the fleet. I'd be more likely to believe that, finding herself unable to escape from Azure City, she and Belkar are conducting some guerilla warfare against Xykon's forces. That, or they've been captured. :smalleek: Remember that the fact that V can't scry on them almost certainly means that they are still within the area of effect of Xykon's cloister.

[Tal9922]

Best comic since 496. Probably Better.
And forget the size, Qarr has to be pretty powerful to charm an army-worth of sea trolls.

[*Templar*]

You know, everybody is rolling on the floor over "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE MYSTERIES OF MY HEART!", but to me, the funniest line in this strip is: "It's fish eggs. We're on the ocean. Twelve Gods, work it out somehow."

[Quazer Games]

Yay! Therkla's an orc. Well, half orc. Oops, I drooled on the keyboard.


...Remember that the fact that V can't scry on them almost certainly means that they are still within the area of effect of Xykon's cloister.

What if cloister follows someone around? If Haley and Belkar have left but the cloister is still following them, then they still would be un-scryable!

[DarthMauler64]

I know this is from last comic, but I have a question. What was the approximate challenge rating of the troll army? Thanks.

[Darkhands]

Uhm... am I the only one who didn't get the title? I mean yea, I sorta do, but they usually register more clearly than that...


Presumably it's a description of her diary.


oooooooooooohhhhh.... right then ..... sorry, I have blond moments sometimes

Hard to do sometimes, but I've always found that you need to read the title AFTER you read the comic in order to get the joke. :) It's usually a joke itself based on the comic's punchline.

[Doug Lampert]

Interesting observation: Kubota (a clearly evil man) also worships the Twelve Gods, as a pantheon. Does this mean that the gods have all alignments covered, or are they all Neutral (allowing any alignment to worship them)?
He's not a cleric. He can worship any God(s) he wants. (Heck, even a cleric can worship any god(s) he wants, he just won't get any spells from any more than one step away).

And even if they were all true nuetral that wouldn't allow any alignment to get spells from them.

[sihnfahl]

I know this is from last comic, but I have a question. What was the approximate challenge rating of the troll army? Thanks.
A single Scrag has a CR of 5. A dozen of them has a EL of 12, I believe.

[Jimorian]

Heh, the "Salutarian... no more!" line was priceless.

And I'm betting that in Ninja School, that wouldn't be considered cheating -- any valedictorian who didn't see that coming wouldn't deserve the honor. :smallwink:

[Doug Lampert]

I know this is from last comic, but I have a question. What was the approximate challenge rating of the troll army? Thanks.Individuals have a Challenge Rating. Groups have an Encounter Level.

The tiny outsider claims to have charmed "a few dozen" monsters for each previous try. 3.0 claimed you should calculate EL based only on the strongest 16 members of a group since additional weak monsters really don't help much. 3.5 just gives a table without explaining where the numbers came from and the table tops out at a dozen monsters.

12 CR 5 Scargs are EL 12 (3.5). 16 would be EL 13 (3.0). I'd be inclined to award some extra Role Playing Experience and to downgrade the Opposition some since the party has to try to protect a bunch of low level NPCs.

DougL

[Fighteer]

What if cloister follows someone around? If Haley and Belkar have left but the cloister is still following them, then they still would be un-scryable!
That's a bit of a stretch. The spell looked like it affected the entire city; for it to stick to individuals present when it was cast would be... well, yes I know "it's magic", but it would seem to be unnecessarily complicated. Especially given that Xykon doesn't know or care about the rest of the OotS.

In the absence of evidence one way or the other, Occam's Razor applies.

[xatm092]

I LOVE the title! Genius!

Poor ninja half orc girl, I hope it works out.

Oh no.. you don't suppose...

Elan will give up hope on Haley and bed this ninja chick?

[silvadel]

Actually beauty CAN be shown in a stick figure context... The major basis of my conclusion of homliness is the asymmetry. We are pretty much programmed to see symmetry as beauty because it tends to show better genes.

[EllysW]

Great comic . . . especially "Salutatorian NO MORE." Priceless.

Have to ask a dumb question, though -- what's DC stand for in the DC 30 lock? I get that it's the strength of the lock, just don't know what it specifically means. Thanks.

[BeySann]

So B&R is an imp. Interesting so it may not have knowledge of the gates after all (it's still quite possible that it does) If it does then Sabine is likely a Erinyes rather than a Succubus, if not then we may never know her status.

Nope: if I recall correctly (no MM handy) an Erinye has feathered wings. Sabine's are certainly *not* feathered!

[thereaper]

...And the mysterious guy with the orange-red speech bubbles turns out to be a tiny little imp(?). How anti-climactic. And yet, completely hilarious.

My theory on the MITD being nothing but-
a pair of floating telekinetic eyeballs
-seems to be a little more likely now, doesn't it? :smallbiggrin:

But it will be interesting to see how Therkla plan on distracting Elan. It was also nice to see a little backstory on her and her relationship with Kubota.

[sihnfahl]

Have to ask a dumb question, though -- what's DC stand for in the DC 30 lock? I get that it's the strength of the lock, just don't know what it specifically means. Thanks.

Difficulty class. A DC 30 lock is ... rather hard to pick. You'd pretty much have to be a master thief to defeat it.

Edit: Well, that or neglect your other class skills so that you're maximized to pick locks of that difficulty early on...

[Fighteer]

Have to ask a dumb question, though -- what's DC stand for in the DC 30 lock? I get that it's the strength of the lock, just don't know what it specifically means. Thanks.
Difficulty Class - a measure of how much skill is required to pick the lock. More generically, in the d20 system, DC is the target required on a skill or ability check to succeed in a task. The player (or DM) rolls a single d20, to which is added the skill/ability modifier of the character attempting the task.

A character with a skill modifier of +10 therefore has a 5% chance of picking a DC 30 lock, and that is the minimum skill level needed to do so. Such a modifier is barely within the reach of a 1st level character with maxed skill ranks and ability scores, using masterwork tools.

Example: Int 18 (+4), 4 skill ranks (+4), masterwork tools (+2 circumstance bonus)

[Ganurath]

Difficulty class. A DC 30 lock is ... rather hard to pick. You'd pretty much have to be a master thief to defeat it.Or a L1 Tiefling Rogue with max ranks in Open Lock, Masterwork Thieves' Tools, Nimble Fingers, and 14 Int before the racial bonus.

[MrEdwardNigma]

...And the mysterious guy with the orange-red speech bubbles turns out to be a tiny little imp(?). How anti-climactic. And yet, completely hilarious.

My theory on the MITD being nothing but-
a pair of floating telekinetic eyeballs
-seems to be a little more likely now, doesn't it? :smallbiggrin:

Not really. No eyeball can deliver kicks like the MITD can, not even if there are two of them!

[HOLEkevin]

Man. I want a little flying demon familiar who can charm stuff for me! Kubota's so lucky!

[bosssmiley]

I LOVE the title! Genius!

Poor ninja half orc girl, I hope it works out.

Oh no.. you don't suppose...

Elan will give up hope on Haley and bed this ninja chick?

Whereas I sincerely hope for farcical comedy-of-errors misunderstandings of this arc. I mean, is there any concept in D&D more shuddersome than the idea of a half-orc honeytrap?! :smalleek:

[Gilmiril]

Once again, and excellent strip!


I think he gets as many laughs from our bad guesses as we do from the comic...

Yes, I expect that he does. I know that I do!

[Gilmiril]

That was my favorite line, too :) And on a personal note, I am very, very glad she was not Salutatorian at my school :smalltongue:

I take it you were the valedictorian?

[Gilmiril]

"He's too clever."

Hahahahaha! I'm liking Therkla a lot. They'd actually make a great couple and Elan would have found the only person in the world who thinks he's clever.

Therkla thinks Elan's clever?

"That is simply. . .uh. . .a cunning facade."

Sounds like she's lying about Elan being clever in order to cover up her infatuation with him. She may be blinded by love, but there is nothing here yet to suggest that she really thinks he's clever.

[Crimsonfur]

She looks pretty much exactly like a half-orc Haley :smalleek: Maybe she got polymorphed somehow?

[Doug Lampert]

Difficulty Class - a measure of how much skill is required to pick the lock. More generically, in the d20 system, DC is the target required on a skill or ability check to succeed in a task. The player (or DM) rolls a single d20, to which is added the skill/ability modifier of the character attempting the task.

A character with a skill modifier of +10 therefore has a 5% chance of picking a DC 30 lock, and that is the minimum skill level needed to do so. Such a modifier is barely within the reach of a 1st level character with maxed skill ranks and ability scores, using masterwork tools.

Example: Int 18 (+4), 4 skill ranks (+4), masterwork tools (+2 circumstance bonus)

Quible: Open Locks goes off Dex, not Int.

DC 30 is defined as a "good lock".

Note that there's no limit to retries on Open Locks. If there's no trap involved and you have a full minute available you can "take 20" and always get your best result.

You forgot the +3 for skill focus, and if human you can also take Nimble Fingers for +2 more at level 1, and then there's the OTHER +2 circumstance bonus (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0262.html).

This gives a possible +17 at level 1, but no realistic character would have that score.

More resonably. An ordinary NPC rogue has 15 Dex, rising to 16 at level 4 and can do this even without the masterwork tools. So 30 is nice but hardly safe from major threats.

[Added by EDIT] Let's not get into bonuses from assist another. I probably wouldn't allow ANY assistance on open locks, but that's a GM judgement call. Somewhere out there is a GM who'd allow the whole party to assist in an open locks check for +6 or so more.

DougL

[Doug Lampert]

She looks pretty much exactly like a half-orc Haley :smalleek: Maybe she got polymorphed somehow?The problem with that theory is Comic 484. Which has ALWAYS been the cruicial weakpoint of she's Haley in disquise. Knowing that she's been in Kubota's service for seven years is just one more nail in the coffin.

[The Tygre]

Ah, you mean the red voice isn't a Rakshasa? Ohhh...

Keep up the good work, Giant!

[Crimsonfur]

The problem with that theory is Comic 484. Which has ALWAYS been the cruicial weakpoint of she's Haley in disquise. Knowing that she's been in Kubota's service for seven years is just one more nail in the coffin.

Yes..the seven years thing, I spaced that

[El Leik Jou]

I really did love this one. I always like it when theories explodes in a brilliant light of dust. Just like what Giant did here. I got to say...

I did NEVER expect that guy with the red letters to be a imp... Wait. Who am I kidding? NOBODY expected that at all!

The Therkla theories was getting out of hand. Glad to see them crumble with this strip.

[Daibhid C]

You know, everybody is rolling on the floor over "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE MYSTERIES OF MY HEART!", but to me, the funniest line in this strip is: "It's fish eggs. We're on the ocean. Twelve Gods, work it out somehow."

It's funnier if you know the sturgeon is a freshwater fish. I'm sure this is a deliberate example of Kubota's arrogance inevitably leading to ignorance.

If Hinjo had wanted caviar in the middle of an ocean, the first thing he'd do would be ask a certain common-born daughter of fisherfolk about it...

[Elw00d]

What this comic needs is... more cowbell ninjas!


Prowl,

I know I am posting late with this quote but that post is priceless.

El

[Holammer]

Lovely strip as usual.
Kubuta's comment "The bodyguard AGAIN?" is a bit of a hint that Therkla's been foiled by Elan's charisma for some time now. Heck, he even coaxed her into helping him kill the Troll.

I jokingly discussed the strip with a pal and we both agreed that Therkla was as cute as a halforc stick figure could be, save for the hood-hair.

[teratorn]

I jokingly discussed the strip with a pal and we both agreed that Therkla was as cute as a halforc stick figure could be, save for the hood-hair.

I find her a bit on the ugly side. Handsome and the beast?

[eilandesq]

I love the imp, too. Reminds me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when the big Halloween monster was a couple of inches tall. "Actual size."

HH

Perhaps Roy's return will be an homage to that Buffy moment:

(Roy is standing amidst a pile of bodies of Hinjo's enemies and looking at the imp--who is glaring back at Roy)

IMP: Fear me! I am evil incarnate!

ROY: [smirks and walks over to the imp]

IMP: (sounding nervous) You know, your friends will all abandon you and go off to living their own lives.

ROY: Been there, done that.

[raises foot, stomps IMP]

[LRNs]

Hey folks, I'm a long-time reader, but I've never had anything to say before. Maybe someone has pointed this out somewhere else, but...

I just wanted to point out the odd similarities between this new half-orc assassin & the origins of Psylocke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psylocke) of the X-Men.

- Why hasn't Vaarsuvius been able to scry on Haley?
- Why does this "trusted assassin" have the hots for Elan?
- Why is she dressed in purple?

Because Haley has gone through the Siege Perilous and come out on the other side the the body of ninja assassin Kwannon...I mean Therkla.

If this isn't the case then Rich has been drawing inside a massive improbability field. If it is the case, awesome job borrowing that story-line. Either way, I had to get my theory down in writing before it's too late.

Peace, Love & Phat L00tz,

- LRNs

P.S. Don't anyone tell Chris Claremont. :-0

Well, carry on!

[Jayngfet]

got rid of therkla threads, now show mr. scruffy and mikos cremation:smalltongue:

[BigBooter]

Not really. No eyeball can deliver kicks like the MITD can, not even if there are two of them!

Earthquake-inducing kicks... not to mention the punching game that MitD played with Miko and Windstriker :smallwink: Mind you, a pair of eyeballs as Xykon's super weapon would have been mega hilarious :smallbiggrin:

Having said that, while the big reveal on Therkla and Qarr were so very well timed and craftily executed, I sincerely hope that we don't have MitD's unveiling until the penultimate scene of the Xykon super-mega-arc...

[David Argall]

I find her a bit on the ugly side. Handsome and the beast?

Can't ruin the alliteration like that, so we unkindly make that Handsome and the Hag.


Maybe someone has pointed this out somewhere else, but...

I just wanted to point out the odd similarities between this new half-orc assassin & the origins of Psylocke of the X-Men.
Well, we haven't had that particular version, but we have had loads of Haley is Therkla suggestions, all wisely rejected.


- Why hasn't Vaarsuvius been able to scry on Haley?
She is behind magic shielding that prevents scrying and her leaving.


- Why does this "trusted assassin" have the hots for Elan?
It makes for great jokes and story. And Elan has had a lot of lasses interested in him.


- Why is she dressed in purple?
Why not? The other two Kubota ninjas were dressed in two shades of Blue. So it may be no more than a way to identify her.


Because Haley has gone through the Siege Perilous and come out on the other side the the body of ninja assassin Kwannon...I mean Therkla.
So far there is no sign of any Siege Perilous, much less that Haley has encountered it. And she would have had to do only in the missing time since we have both girls in 484.


I had to get my theory down in writing before it's too late.
I am not aware of a need to not miss a chance to show one is wrong.

[shot-bya-monk]

do half ocrs make good assasins

[The Extinguisher]

Definately a teenager.

Therkla seems attractive. Medium-high charisma. Seems important for a ninja. Half of stealth is infultration.

Maybe it's just the hair.

[Ganurath]

Definately a teenager.

Therkla seems attractive. Medium-high charisma. Seems important for a ninja. Half of stealth is infultration.

Maybe it's just the hair.Random starting age for a half-orc rogue is 14+1d4. Add Therkla's 7 years of service, and she's somewhere from 22 to 25. Unless you think she graduated at 11 and went straight to serving Kubota, of course. She's a woman, all right.

[factotum]

So far there is no sign of any Siege Perilous, much less that Haley has encountered it. And she would have had to do only in the missing time since we have both girls in 484.


Not to mention she would have then had to find some means to travel back in time seven years in order to have been in Kubota's service for that length of time...

[Curunir]

Probably been said, but this imp reminds me of Mr Deemon from the OotS Board game.


But the strip is great.

[The Extinguisher]

Random starting age for a half-orc rogue is 14+1d4. Add Therkla's 7 years of service, and she's somewhere from 22 to 25. Unless you think she graduated at 11 and went straight to serving Kubota, of course. She's a woman, all right.

That's still teenager-esque.

Personally though, I never liked rolling for age, weight and height. That's more flavour stuff than anything.

[factotum]

Well, it still makes little sense for someone to be a fully-trained level 1 rogue at age 11, regardless of whether you roll for the age or not! :smallbiggrin:

[Angel in Black]

Well, it still makes little sense for someone to be a fully-trained level 1 rogue at age 11, regardless of whether you roll for the age or not! :smallbiggrin:

*coughfrankjaegercough* Try 7 <_<

[Leliel]

I was right.

Mr. Red Speech is Lawful Evil!

Looks like he's a minion though...

[Ganurath]

*coughfrankjaegercough* Try 7 <_<Therkla has a bit too much of an... adult body shape to be of those ages when she graduates.

[shot-bya-monk]

she could be having a mid life crisis for all we know

[the_tick_rules]

so he has a fiendish imp as his lil buddy.

[shot-bya-monk]

he sure does

[OverWilliam]

Waitwaitwait... If Hinjo bites it in a 'random encounter' Kubota takes over? How does that work? :smallconfused:

[teratorn]

Waitwaitwait... If Hinjo bites it in a 'random encounter' Kubota takes over? How does that work? :smallconfused:

Hinjo has no heirs and he is the last of his house.

The OOTs could try to bring him back tough.

[Surfing HalfOrc]

Waitwaitwait... If Hinjo bites it in a 'random encounter' Kubota takes over? How does that work? :smallconfused:

If Hinjo has no children or siblings of his own, there will be no direct decendants to take over the throne. The throne will then go to the next in line, which is probably Kubota.

[OverWilliam]

Yeah, but wouldn't civil war and an eventual split be more likely? Hinjo said that, "He (Kubota) controls the most powerful house and has the backing of so many other families" in #503, but surely he wouldn't go uncontested? They already know, if they can't prove, that Kubota has tried to kill Hinjo before, and they would surely see through it again. Even if they can't prove it this time either, the accusation would postpone the coronation until it could be settled, which would take a really long time considering they don't have a proper legal system in place. Kubota isn't the kind to wait and has the military resources to attempt a military rise to power. From what I know if him, that seems a likely course of action. For one House Kato would fight to the death, and with three high level PCs definitely on their side, they would win at least a decent majority of the other houses over pretty quickly. It seems to me that that would get really messy, really fast. *shrug*

[Zordrath]

None of the nobles know that there was actually any assassination attempt on Hinjo, since none of them was present in the battle. And Hinjo probably did not tell them either, because he has no reason to do so. He can't prove anything, after all.

It's pretty uncertain what would happen in the case of Hinjo's death. We don't know wether the Azurites have any high level clerics left and we don't know what Kubota and the other nobles would do. I don't think Kubota would take over militarily, though. He doesn't strike me as stupid enough to start a civil war (he's been pretty careful up until to now to make sure nobody can prove he was actually involved in anything). He must have some sort of plan for that case, or else he wouldn't try so hard to kill Hinjo.

Also, Therkla is awesome.

[OverWilliam]

Also, Therkla is awesome.
Agreed. :D


(he's been pretty careful up until to now to make sure nobody can prove he was actually involved in anything)
Actually, it came across to me more along the lines of he did what he wanted to without planning anything and the imp coached him on how to get back out of it alive. He was just lucky that the way it ended up they couldn't pin anything on him. Maybe that's just me...

[shot-bya-monk]

if all of the nobles know each other as they should and if he has any friends do u think any one would know of Therkla cause if they do and they link her to the seen of the crime, perhaps elan speaks up about her being on there boat perhaps they could link him to the scean of the crime. this thoery wont work if know one knows of Therkla how ever but its unlikely due to the fact that she has been her top assasin for 7 years and she may be noted 4 such a big feat. only time will tell

[BobTheFerret]

Hmm...

Anyone suspect...

Belkar+Imp?

[sihnfahl]

if all of the nobles know each other as they should
Court intrigues. They know each other's personalities, but not their machinations.


and if he has any friends
He doesn't strike me as the kind to form 'friendships' with other nobles. Allies of convenience, yes, but not friendship.


do u think any one would know of Therkla
Doubtful. While the nobles know each other would have assassins in their employ, the exact identity of each would be a guarded secret.


cause if they do and they link her to the seen of the crime
What crime? Why, it's only the word of Hinjo and a Northern Barbarian against a noble based off a few words of a hired sword. What crime was committed?


perhaps elan speaks up about her being on there boat perhaps they could link him to the scean of the crime.
Again, what crime? And all Elan knows is that a gal in purple armor helped him kill scrags.

[Shas aia Toriia]

Great comic. A bit late here, but that was the best comic in a while.

[teratorn]

Hmm...

Anyone suspect...

Belkar+Imp?

Sorry, but I dont understand what you're talking about. Romantic interest? There's a thread about that, maybe someone has done it already...

[David Argall]

They already know, if they can't prove, that Kubota has tried to kill Hinjo before, and they would surely see through it again. Even if they can't prove it this time either, the accusation would postpone the coronation until it could be settled, which would take a really long time considering they don't have a proper legal system in place.
Having nobody in charge is a very bad situation and they are not going to let a mere accusation delay the coronation. Unless somebody produces solid proof, the accusation is ignored.
People make a big distinction between things they know you are doing and things you have been caught doing. Everybody may know Kubota ordered the hit on Hinjo, but if they can't prove it, it doesn't count. Kubota takes over without a stain on her character.


Kubota isn't the kind to wait and has the military resources to attempt a military rise to power. From what I know if him, that seems a likely course of action. For one House Kato would fight to the death, and with three high level PCs definitely on their side, they would win at least a decent majority of the other houses over pretty quickly. It seems to me that that would get really messy, really fast.
House Kato is the least of the houses, and its claim to even be a house is at best not yet final, and may never be if Hinjo is dead. Its influence with other houses is at best zero, and could be negative.
The opposition to Kubota taking the throne is likely split. Noble #2 likely thinks he is better qualified, but #3 probably thinks he is better than either #1 or #2, or he may just not like #2. We work on down to #10 and we find there is just not a consensus candidate for the anybody but Kubota crowd once Hinjo is out of the way.
So Kubota very likely takes the throne without fuss once Hinjo is disposed of.



It's pretty uncertain what would happen in the case of Hinjo's death. We don't know wether the Azurites have any high level clerics left
Now that does bring up a point of interest. In a society where Raise Dead is easily available, why is assassination common? The Raise Dead reduces the damage to a major assault and battery. You don't silence the critic, nor clear the way for an inheritance. So why all the ninja assassins?

The presumption is that there are major limits on the use of Raise Dead. Maybe it is considered challenging the will of the gods, or maybe it is considered a presumptuous claim to be a god. Anyway, there are major restrictions on its use.
They can't be absolute. Shojo was going to have his mage raised, and Hinjo tries to raise Shojo, but there can still be rules strict enough that when you die by assassination, you stay dead. [For those wanting to keep Hinjo with the party, the raised individual may count as a newborn baby, one who is also an orphan with no property. So Hinjo would be no longer the lord even if he was raised.]

[These limits, whatever they are, are probably limited to Azure City law. We know that Cliffport has limits on magical evidence that Azure City does not. So it is presumed that Azure City has limits that other cities don't. ]

[Caractacus]

David's post above is excellent. Didn't quote it due to its length.

V.curious about the rights of victims of assassinations if raised/resurrected.

I wonder if the answer is more simple: can one use a Wish spell or similar to prevent the return of someone slain (unless the Wish is removed somehow)?

After all, if the raise/resurrect fails, most people would give up, not go for a Wish - it is, at least, a further level of effort that is required, thus making it more likely that your recent victim doesn't return and ruin everything with all the pointing and 'It was HIM'ing that one would expect under the circumstances...

[Doug Lampert]

V.curious about the rights of victims of assassinations if raised/resurrected.

I wonder if the answer is more simple: can one use a Wish spell or similar to prevent the return of someone slain (unless the Wish is removed somehow)?
Preventing Raise Dead is almost trivial. There's a laundry list of things it won't work on. Dismember the body doesn't even require magic.

Preventing Resurect is probably most easily stopped by completely destroying the body, raising the character as undead and then hiding the undead, or by hiding the body.

True Resurect is VERY hard to stop (heck, it's a level 9 spell with the most expensive material component in the entire rulebook, it SHOULD be hard to stop). But odds are overwhelming that Azure City has no level 17+ clerics left. And it can be prevented by the raise as undead method, or by the eaten by a Barghest method, or by the trap the soul method, ....

DougL

[Fighteer]

Consider also the cost of raising the dead, in terms of material components, XP for the cleric, and level/Constitution loss for the subject. For these reasons, it would be necessarily restricted only to the most affluent and/or important of citizens. And let's not forget the "wants to come back" part - arguably the most intangible and a great way to write characters out whom the DM/author doesn't want to have raised.

In any city smaller than a major capital, there's likely to be less than a dozen clerics capable of casting raise dead, much less resurrection. They don't get their XP through adventuring - at least not nearly as much as an actual adventurer, so the XP component is relatively more significant for them. And 5000 gp diamonds don't grow on trees.

However, D&D is infamous for having a medieval fantasy setting that almost completely ignores the impact of casually available magic on society and culture. Assassination (not to mention war) becomes quite a different thing when you have to worry about your target being raised the day after you kill him. This is true even in 3rd edition, where magic is so common that wizards and priests have actually set standardized prices for their services! (Yes, I'm aware of Eberron, but have not played it - and OotS is definitely not set there.)

[AgentCimorene]

Wild Spec That I don't think has been touched on:
So Therkla likes Elan but I'm not really sure what her alignment is. If she's of the more evil side then maybe opposites would attract her to Elan. One of two things are going to happen:

*She'll be scorned and want to destroy Elan (love(infatuation) and hate are very close emotions)

*She'll find Nale and be all swooning over him. They are twins, and she seems to be physically attracted to Elan, not mentally. Though I'd love to read that journal to see her thoughts on paper

[Surfing HalfOrc]

Wild Spec That I don't think has been touched on:
So Therkla likes Elan but I'm not really sure what her alignment is. If she's of the more evil side then maybe opposites would attract her to Elan. One of two things are going to happen:

*She'll be scorned and want to destroy Elan (love(infatuation) and hate are very close emotions)

*She'll find Nale and be all swooning over him. They are twins, and she seems to be physically attracted to Elan, not mentally. Though I'd love to read that journal to see her thoughts on paper

Ooh! You might be onto something!

The Linear Guild could use someone like Therkla, plus it would be someone for Thog to talk too.

[Doug Lampert]

Consider also the cost of raising the dead, in terms of material components, XP for the cleric, and level/Constitution loss for the subject. For these reasons, it would be necessarily restricted only to the most affluent and/or important of citizens. And let's not forget the "wants to come back" part - arguably the most intangible and a great way to write characters out whom the DM/author doesn't want to have raised.

In any city smaller than a major capital, there's likely to be less than a dozen clerics capable of casting raise dead, much less resurrection. They don't get their XP through adventuring - at least not nearly as much as an actual adventurer, so the XP component is relatively more significant for them. And 5000 gp diamonds don't grow on trees.
What XP component. Neither 3.0 nor 3.5 has ever had any XP component for Raise Dead, Resurrect, or True Resurect.

Nor does the 3.5 version require a single diamond worth 5000GP, it requires a collection of diamonds with a total value of 5000GP (for Raise, the others are more expensive).

Now only the very richest of the rich can actually afford 5000GP. But if you've got the money the spell should be purchasable with relatively little trouble in most or all cities of any size.

[AgentCimorene]

Ooh! You might be onto something!

The Linear Guild could use someone like Therkla, plus it would be someone for Thog to talk too.


Oooh or maybe this:

Scorned by Elan, Therkla seeks to drown her sorrows in Nale, who is busy with Sabine. So she secretly pines after Nale and vividly despises Elan and confides her problems to Thog. Thog is "good shoulder to cry on" and learns that pretty girls aren't so bad but can never admit to it out of sever shyness and un-worthiness towards Therkla! :O

[Doug Lampert]

Ooh! You might be onto something!

The Linear Guild could use someone like Therkla, plus it would be someone for Thog to talk too. eww thog thinks pretty girls are ichy! (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0066.html) And note that this DOES apply to Elan's illusion and not to Sabine. Therka likely meets Thog's standards for "pretty girl".

[Fighteer]

What XP component. Neither 3.0 nor 3.5 has ever had any XP component for Raise Dead, Resurrect, or True Resurect.

Nor does the 3.5 version require a single diamond worth 5000GP, it requires a collection of diamonds with a total value of 5000GP (for Raise, the others are more expensive).

Now only the very richest of the rich can actually afford 5000GP. But if you've got the money the spell should be purchasable with relatively little trouble in most or all cities of any size.
Hmm, guess I have to go reread the SRD/PHB. Haven't done it in a while. Still, the cost of casting the spell, plus the material component, puts it out of the reach of all but the richest commoners.

[Doug Lampert]

Hmm, guess I have to go reread the SRD/PHB. Haven't done it in a while. Still, the cost of casting the spell, plus the material component, puts it out of the reach of all but the richest commoners.
Out of reach for nearly all Commoners and most members of the nobility!

Raise Dead costs a minimum 450 GP for the spell and component 5,000 GP. Minimum total cost 5,450 GP. Resurrect comes to 10,910 GP. True Resurrect comes to 26,530 GP.

A Level 1 aristocrat averages 270 GP net worth. TWENTY such aristocrats can pool ALL their money and come out with too little to pay for even one raise dead.

Major nobles and their children probably have a lot more. But most nobles aren't major nobles or their children.

A skilled master craftsman who never takes any vacations and can always make stuff and sell it nets about 346 GP/year. It's about 16 years of his ENTIRE income to pay for one raise dead. Hope he likes living on rock soup. How many of us have savings equal to 16 years of a very successful business owner's entire income?

You can buy 6 new houses and have change left over for the cost of one Raise Dead.

Raise dead is simply out of reach for almost all NPCs.

[David Argall]

Raise Dead costs a minimum 450 GP for the spell and component 5,000 GP. Minimum total cost 5,450 GP. Resurrect comes to 10,910 GP. True Resurrect comes to 26,530 GP.

You can buy 6 new houses and have change left over for the cost of one Raise Dead.

Raise dead is simply out of reach for almost all NPCs.

Using DMG, p. 127, NPC gear, a 6th level can swing it with a little work, and a 9th level does it out of pocket [And once you pass 10th level in Living Greyhawk, you start looking for ways to die because you gain more gold by regaining the level.] So the NPCs it is worth using an assassin on do have the gold to pay for that Raise Dead.

[Nidhögg]

This comic was even more fun when I looked up what a salutatorian is. :smallsmile: I wonder how many more (maybe less obvious) references to american society I've missed throughout this comic... :smallbiggrin:

[Max_Sinister]

Good, finally the Therkla = Haley speculations are over.

And now it makes absolutely sense: The demon had to be somewhat weak, because a mightier demon would be able to find out what Therkla really thinks.