The Order of the Stick: July 05 I

[Winged One]

Fear my swift topic-starting! And discuss the comics here when they are up...

[Melange]

You and Lilly have too much fun month-swaping...

[Lilly]

My internet crapped out while I was making the other one!

Uh, yeah it is too much fun.


And Ka-Stick!

[Winged One]

I'm just bored, awake and within reach of an internet connection at the correct time. ;D

EDIT TO ESCAPE THE WRATH OF MOD: Why do you suppose the Giant didn't post a guest comic today? Could it be that there will be a real comic?

[Melange]

And Ka-Stick!

Ka-Stick?

[Poeir]

Probably can't get online for whatever reason--you'll note he's made no posts today, either, and normally he does when a comic's expected and not there.

But, uh, here's a brief dialogue I wrote about a rogue I made with 11 ranks in Bluff and Forgery, (edit for Melange) plus 11 ranks in Disguise and a hat of disguise (end edit).
Brook (in Lieutenant uniform with official documents): "'Tention! I am your new Lieutenant. Due to budget cuts, you're fired."
Guard: "So you're not really my new Lieutenant, are you?"
Brook: "Technically, no."
Guard: "You suck, sir." (leaves)
(The next day)
Captain: "What on Earth were you thinking?"
Guard: "What do you mean? I was told I was fired!"
Captain: "Of course you're fired, you let a thief walk right into the house! Through the front door!"

[Lilly]

Ka-Stick?

You notice how the thread is "stuck" to the top of the page? It wasn't like that before...

Well here's to Rich's wrist getting better and #200 being really long and good when it finally decides to show up.

[Melange]

Ah, mod sound effects.... It all makes sense..... thank you for clarifying....


as for the dialogue, funny, though you forgot to do a disguise check....

[Nikolai_II]

Well here's to Rich's wrist getting better and #200 being really long and good when it finally decides to show up.

I just hope he doesn't forget about #199 ;) :P

[Melange]

I just hope he doesn't forget about #199 ;) :P


Or 198....

[Sundog]

Woo! The new stuff's up. I love the pictures of Elan and Vaarsuvius, but doesn't Haley look a little too sophisticated? I always saw her as more farm-girl pretty, Lovely but muscular and strong.

[Drizzt_Fanboy_74]

Am I the only one who thinks that photo composite of V looks like Michael Ian Black? Look at just the face for a minute.....Regardless, I think it looks distinctly male.

[Darasen]

The new pictures are nice. All of the ones of V posted so far are more gender discernable. It is easier to make one look androgynous with dtick figures.

[yrro]

I dunno, I think the Bishounen look is perfect for V.

[Frojoe21]

Belkar looked a little...old and fat. Not exactly how I pictured him.

[Aeek]

The new pictures are nice. All of the ones of V posted so far are more gender discernable. It is easier to make one look androgynous with dtick figures.

It's trivial to make a clearly male stick figure.
"dtick", freudian typo.
Harder to do curves with straight lines

[Sylian]

Belkar looked a little...old and fat. Not exactly how I pictured him.
Pictured him? Eh, doesn't Rich already draw pictures of him? Are ye saying that Rich is feeding us with fake pictures? :o

I have always though that the characters looked as they were drawn. It is one thing picturing characters from a book, and another picturing characters from a comic.

The later doesn't make much sense, does it?

[Whamme]

Pictured him? Eh, doesn't Rich already draw pictures of him? Are ye saying that Rich is feeding us with fake pictures? :o

I have always though that the characters looked as they were drawn. It is one thing picturing characters from a book, and another picturing characters from a comic.

The later doesn't make much sense, does it?

Makes plenty of sense. Picturing what the stick figures would look like if they weren't stick figures. Like picturing what a black and white strip would look like in colour, or a classic cartoon would like in anime style.

[Poeir]

I always assume all comics can do with embellishing and that the characters are not what the characters look like, but representations of what the characters are doing with their most salient features. Same for video games. This means that, for example, perhaps Vaarsuvius is wearing a cape or a cloak, perhaps it is attached in the middle, or perhaps it is attached to the shoulders. My own personal vision is that it's fastened at the center and that V wears no jewelry but the cloak clasp and headband. Someone else may differ.

This does not only apply to The Order of the Stick. For instance, I suspect that Dilbert carries a cell phone and probably a PDA, but the character is not drawn with these items attached.

[Taelas]

Comics are usually simplified quite a bit.

OOTS is simplified more. ;)

I imagine the OOTSers in a "realistic" style often enough.

[Aeek]

I imagine the OOTSers in a "realistic" style often enough.


I don't. I don't notice the stickiness that much either, the clothing and hair add so much bulk.

[SimonMoon5]

For instance, I suspect that Dilbert carries a cell phone and probably a PDA, but the character is not drawn with these items attached.

Oh, and I suppose you think Dilbert has a mouth too, even though he's not drawn with one? That seems totally unrealistic to me. ;) :);D

[Aeek]

Oh, and I suppose you think Dilbert has a mouth too, even though he's not drawn with one? That seems totally unrealistic to me. ;) :);D

or that BunBun is nonlethal and doesn't talk, because he is after all a bunny rabbit. That would be realistic.

[Rhuna_Coppermane]

Just want to comment that I am really enjoying Sprained Wrist Theater.

I don't tend to picture the characters as other than they are drawn, but I am really enjoying other people's visions of them. And since it started, I've been imagining the characters as drawn by the team that does Kim Possible. ;D

[Estrogen]

I think all the ones of V so far have been very androgynous, as opposed to what a few people have said about them so far.

I totally love the photo composite of V! I don't know why, but I've always loved when I can't tell if a person is male or female :p

[Nightmarenny]

So do we know if monday will yeild a comic?

[Frojoe21]

Well, according to my watch its 12:30 am, so heres hoping.

[Ruroshen]

Woo! The new stuff's up. I love the pictures of Elan and Vaarsuvius, but doesn't Haley look a little too sophisticated? I always saw her as more farm-girl pretty, Lovely but muscular and strong.

See, this was my thinking too, which is why I drew he in my fan-strip as being a little on the muscular side, and didn't overly feminize her by adding eyelases or lipstick. She's Betty, not Veronica, if Betty could bench-press more than Archie and Jughead put together. ;D

Apparently I went overboard on the muscles, though, as some people were kinda creeped out by it. :o

[Nighthawk4]

I see Haley as lithe and fit, not too muscular. She is a Rogue, not a Fighter. More like a track athlete than a weight-lifter or shot-putter. Also, I see her as more of the 'girl-next-door' type than the super-model - pretty but not gorgeous.

Elan should not be muscular. He is a Bard, not a Fighter. A friendly, slightly naive sort of guy - charismatic, but not too bright.

Belkar I think would be more like Danny DeVito than Mickey Rooney. Perhaps slimmer than Danny - more like Danny Baker (the guy who played R2D2). Unfortunately, both of these appear too comical - Belkar is evil ;)

As for Roy, I think Ving Rhames - or perhaps Samuel L Jackson or even Lindo DelRoy (remember Lindo in Get Shorty, explaining things to Yayo?)

The Sprained Wrist Theatre is good, but I still miss OOTS - hope Rich is feeling better - not just because I want the comics back of course :D

[The Giant]

New OOTS is up. The Sprained Wrist Theater turned out to be a little more work than I was really up for; I decided it was better to rest for two extra days and not touch the computer at all. The ones that posted and many of the ones that didn't make it will show up in the Extras section soon.

[Nikolai_II]

Yay! Comic - right now!

Sprained wrists, art upgrades, musical mastery - many minor smileys as the OOTS return and set up the stage in anticipation of this fridays grand extravaganza ;D

[Sc00by]

It's an art upgrade. And a new skill check... Wonder how many ranks Roy has in that ;)

Great stuff, good to see that the wrist thing hasn't affected the brain! Nice nod to it with Elan too, though I've always thought that he has more of a sprained head

[Bogardan_Mage]

Rofl at the first frame of #198. Pity the joke will be lost on those who weren't regular viewers at the time.

[Psymon]

I like Roy's new boots, not to sure about Elan's clasp though.

"Thats what we call a low % scenario"

Genius!

[Nighthawk4]

Very funny. Good to have you back Giant :D

[Psymon]

I've just noticed the new mystical etchings on V's cloak, cool!

(this is the bit where someones points out that they've always been there.)

[Wunderhund]

Elan: You know, I've been thinking...
Roy: I've had nightmares that start this way.

Classic OOTS! ;D

[sisha]

Great, Giant!!!

Now you have to tell us if Elan's injury was
pre-figured or you had.. let's say...
a kind of artistic vision last few days...

:-)

[Fire_Wolf]

Do you know what this means? The Giant! And Elan! One and the same! :o This explains why you never see them both in the same place!

Apart from that, this strip is a good example of how versitile Rich's style really is. Despite being (relatively) simple, Rich's still managed to put in enough detail to make the characters more impressive than they looked back in the very first strip.

So, today's upgrades as I see them:

Roy's boots (ovbiously)
Roy's sword hilt is more square
Elan's cloak clasp, plus a more "billowing" look to the cloak itself (obivously)
Vaarsuvius' runes on hir cloak
Vaarsuvius' belt is now brown instead of black
(I dunno if it's a mistake, but the bit of V's cloak around hir neck is the same shade of red as hir robes, and not the usual darker red of hir robe. "Hir", by the way, is my way of avoiding "his/her")
Durkon's belt buckle
Durkon's amulet now has a small upgrade

Am I missing anything?

[PokeTheBard]

Roy's sword is now a different shade. He is hereby known as Roy Turquoisehilt

[RebelRogue]

Elan's sprained wrist is genious :D

Unfortunately (or maybe not... it's a vacation after all) I'm going away for the week which means I'll miss the next few strips. The upside is, that I'll hopefully get to read two or even three OoTS strips (including the fabled #200) consecutively once I get home 8)

[boolean]

Roy's sword is now a different shade. He is hereby known as Roy Turquoisehilt

That may be the magic sword from #118. (Also seen sticking out of Xykon's treasure pile in #116.)

[yrro]

No, they mentioned earlier that they'd sold that sword.

Also, does anyone else think that Elan is playing the kazoo backwards?

[Wukei]

It's Elan. Which means...he probably is.

[Sundog]

Haley was carrying...carts...in her bags of holding..?

[Wukei]

Hey...you never know when a good cart might come in handy.

And look: it did. ;)

[Minttu]

I so totally burst out laughing when Elan began to play his kazoo :D Honestly, it made my day.

Bzz, bzz, teehee.

[GreyRat]

Ya know, I actually applaud Elan for trying to make sure he can still support his team-mates even under adverse conditions. I game with people who I can only wish would take that much initiative.
Then again, if the comic included audio clips of the bard's new musical style, I might withhold my applause... ;D

They need to be careful on the way back, of course. The verbal component for 'Summon Random Encounter' is: "Wow, this treasure is sooo heavy I barely have the strength to fight!"

[Nerd-o-rama]

**KABOOM!**

Ah, that would be the fourth wall. Anyway, overall hilarious comic.

"I've had nightmares that start this way."

I wonder if Elan was clever and took the Versatile Perfomer feat...although since that gives bonus skills based on Int, I think he'd technically lose skill ranks that way.

[Blaznak]

This was DEFINATELY worth a one week wait. How does Rich keep this so fresh all the time? Maybe he keeps his brain in an air-tight container between strips...

[Kanibeos]

Hey...you never know when a good cart might come in handy.

And look: it did. ;)

On the other hand they might have left the carts behind and filled the bags of holding with loot ;-)

And on a completely different issue; now we know which OOTS-character Rich identifies with the most ;-)

[Poeir]

Quick, non-gender-related question about V: Is he wearing a cloak or a cape? Belkar and Elan have both stated that they're wearing a cloak (and Belkar's been seen with the hood up), but not so with V. And are those runes or sloppy sewing?

[Nikolai_II]

On the other hand they might have left the carts behind and filled the bags of holding with loot ;-)


Most likely that has _also_ happened ;)

-

My belief is that the carts were disassembled in the bags though :)

[Grey Watcher]

Quick, non-gender-related question about V: Is he wearing a cloak or a cape? Belkar and Elan have both stated that they're wearing a cloak (and Belkar's been seen with the hood up), but not so with V. And are those runes or sloppy sewing?

I assumed they were runes. And whoever did the catalogue of the updates failed to notice V also has runes at the bottom of his/her cloak/cape.

Well, so much for feeling special that the more detailed artwork was only available on the cover of the book. :sigh:

[Wolfie]

woah!
GREAT comic! :D

[Wally]

Huzzah!

[The_King_of_Durf]

Amazing, it was so worth the wait... I also love the fact that generations to come will read the comic, and not understand what the sprained wrist joke means, it's like an inside joke :)

[Eriol]

Nice. I especially like "Goddamnit, that took WEEKS!" =)

And nice art upgrade. But one thing that was always there that did NOT change was the deal with Roy's feet. I mean that one is ALWAYS larger than the other. And no, it's NOT that one foot is larger than the other, as it swaps off. What's up with that?

[Nasrudith]

Maybe there will be a note at the bottom of the page in ths OOTS sbook saying about the giants wrist being sprained.

[Jibar]

could be, and the feet upgrade is because he now has new boots, his feet being larger than the other just makes it look cool,

[Lawful_Stupid]

Hehe, this comic was well worth the week of no new comics. Why didn't Haley and Belkar get upgraded? Everyone else did.

Great to have Rich back!

[El Jaspero, the Pirate King]

Since this is the proper place for ridiculous nitpicking, I will point out that Elan has at most 1 rank in Perform (kazoo). His puffed-out cheeks indicate that he's blowing through it, whereas anybody who's actually played one...anybody?...hello?...anyway, you actually hum through a kazoo. A kazoo is basically a hollow tube with a vibrating membrane, and blowing through one doesn't make any sound at all.

[Taelas]

Nice. I especially like "Goddamnit, that took WEEKS!" =)

And nice art upgrade. But one thing that was always there that did NOT change was the deal with Roy's feet. I mean that one is ALWAYS larger than the other. And no, it's NOT that one foot is larger than the other, as it swaps off. What's up with that?Perspective.

The larger foot is closer than the smaller. It's how the Giant shows which way they are turned.

Note that this "boot-change" occurs with everyone who ears boots.

[SimonMoon5]

I just figured everyone had mismatched boots. That is, everyone who isn't barefoot.

[Taelas]

Another art-upgrade: Elan's hair.

[Nikolai_II]

Note that this "boot-change" occurs with everyone who ears boots.


The "boot-change" I would blame upon mirroring rather than drawing a second Roy (or whoever) facing in the other direction ;)


Since this is the proper place for ridiculous nitpicking, I will point out that Elan has at most 1 rank in Perform (kazoo). His puffed-out cheeks indicate that he's blowing through it, whereas anybody who's actually played one...anybody?...hello?...anyway, you actually hum through a kazoo. A kazoo is basically a hollow tube with a vibrating membrane, and blowing through one doesn't make any sound at all.

Wha.. he said that he had "decided to branch out", implying that the decision was taken when he sprained his wrist, and since they haven't gained a level he has gotten no skill points to place and should thus have exactly 0 ranks in kazoo.. what you are 'hearing' is his 18 Cha, else he wouldn't even be able to puff ;)

[Taelas]

Of course it's mirroring.

I don't see how that affects my point, though.

[Grimmwulf]

Another art upgrade: Roy's shirt appears to be of a slightly lighter shade of blue now.

[Taelas]

Actually, I think both the shirt and Roy's skin is a lighter shade.

[Estrogen]

Love the new comic, Rich! Glad you're feeling better!

And I soo much love the art upgrade! ;)

(edit)



Another art upgrade: Roy's shirt appears to be of a slightly lighter shade of blue now.


Maybe it's just worn? Clothes loose colour with age you know :P ;D

[benkir]

Nice. I especially like "Goddamnit, that took WEEKS!" =)


so I wonder what Xykon and his mob have been up to... or has this run alongside the period of Xykon moving into his new abode etc?

[Estrogen]

It seemed to me like they were getting the gold out of the cave while mr evilgasm and his goonies were amassing a new following.

that's me though, I dunno

[Winged One]

What sort of upgrades do you think Xykon, his minions, and the Linear Guild got?

[Nikolai_II]

so I wonder what Xykon and his mob have been up to... or has this run alongside the period of Xykon moving into his new abode etc?


It took weeks as in "we made a beeline to see what Xykon had been up to", which took several strips = weeks, + the extra week because Elan Rich sprained his wrist.

[thewaka]

Woohoo! I love the new strip and was very surprised to see one today. It is a *wonderful* surprise.

Haley's upgrades--lighter clothes, brighter hair, more obvious red hair tie

Belkar--poor thing doesn't appear to have gotten any. :(

I disagree on the boot size/perspective thing. Look at panels 3 and 4. Haley's right boot is larger, but she is turned to the right. Also, the characters are drawn facing sideways quite often, including this strip (and sometimes the boot size matches the turned direction, just not consistently enough for me to believe that is the reason behind it).

Diana

[Qwernt]

I wonder how long I need to practice to get to skill level 1 in Kazoo...

GREAT COMIC!

[graganis]

May I echo everyone else in welcoming Rich back to the drawing board, but (echoing El Jaspero) I'd like to continue with some empty nit-picking:


Since this is the proper place for ridiculous nitpicking, I will point out that Elan has at most 1 rank in Perform (kazoo). His puffed-out cheeks indicate that he's blowing through it, whereas anybody who's actually played one...anybody?...hello?...anyway, you actually hum through a kazoo. A kazoo is basically a hollow tube with a vibrating membrane, and blowing through one doesn't make any sound at all.

Not only is Elan blowing through the kazoo, he also appears to have it the wrong way round (I once had to play the kazoo for an orchestral performance of John William's The Phantom Menace so I hope I'm right in saying this). As I understand it the fat end should be in your mouth rather than the thin end.

[Taelas]

I disagree on the boot size/perspective thing. Look at panels 3 and 4. Haley's right boot is larger, but she is turned to the right. Also, the characters are drawn facing sideways quite often, including this strip (and sometimes the boot size matches the turned direction, just not consistently enough for me to believe that is the reason behind it).
You are certainly welcome to disagree--only the Giant can say who's right. ;)

I am still rather certain in that observation, though.

And actually, if you look at panel three, Haley's VR boot is larger, and she's turned to the VL. I assume you meant four and five. :)

[whmice]

;D ;D ;D THE GIANTS BACK!!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D
;D ;D ;Dyay!!! ;D ;D ;D
good comic! although i hardly rememberd what happened before the spraint wrist theater and then before we saw only the evil side plans. ;D

[Eriol]

Not only is Elan blowing through the kazoo, he also appears to have it the wrong way round (I once had to play the kazoo for an orchestral performance of John William's The Phantom Menace so I hope I'm right in saying this). As I understand it the fat end should be in your mouth rather than the thin end.
I think you're right. I noticed that too, but it didn't really "register". So he's so inept that he can't even play a kazoo correctly.

Another point of subtle humour perhaps? ;)

[Nasrudith]

Everythign is lighter actually. Wonder why V looks so mad? Maybe he was upset about being blamed by Elan?

[Adghar]

I'm glad to see that Belkar is still on his dachsund ^^

[RBPRX1204]

Hey, sorry, been gone for a while. Glad you are feeling better, Rich. Great comic today. Love the kazoo.

[Melange]

THE GIANTS BACK!!!!!

And he's bigger than ever.... by 3 inches...

[The Demented One]

Glad the old wrist is better...the comic is worth the wait.

[Jenmoa]

Welcome back!

EXCELLENT comic. Truly worth the wait. ;D

[SacredStorm]

Welcome back Giant!
I, myself, like the change in style Roy's sword is shown...I do not really know what it is, but I think it looks hotter! ;)
-Sam

[Mad_Max]

Glad your back Giant. You to Uthmah :P.

[sktarq]

now is it just my computer giving me funny colours or is Roy Greenhilt's sword's hilt now a soft teal?

As for new boots....the new boots have anckle guards on them-the cloth slips that go over boots to prevent you getting burrs, stones and ticks inside represented by the little lines on his boots...before they were solid brown.

[Adghar]

No, the hilt color has indeed changed:


Everythign is lighter actually. Wonder why V looks so mad? Maybe he was upset about being blamed by Elan?

[Seraph]

perhaps roy picked up a sword in the dragon's treasure vault.

[Adghar]

Is that a theory as to why the hilt is "teal"? Er, RIGHT! Yeah, he found a new broken sword that just happens to perfectly match his old sword so he threw away his old sword. But it has a teal hilt. Just like those new boots! Okay I see now.

What? No I didn't mean to be sarcastic.

[Seraph]

Is that a theory as to why the hilt is "teal"? Er, RIGHT! Yeah, he found a new broken sword that just happens to perfectly match his old sword so he threw away his old sword. But it has a teal hilt. Just like those new boots! Okay I see now.

What? No I didn't mean to be sarcastic.


or perhaps it's just not a greatsword.

also, as for the carts, it is, in fact, possible to fill a bag of holding. (http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=040401)

[Baatezu]

great to have you back giant!

you can't imagine the sheer joy and the size of my smile when i saw it was strip 198 and not 201
(well, maybe you can...)
"it took weeks" - gotta love it

[Grimmwulf]

Perhaps the Stick universe is like "Black & White" - you get a bit brighter by doing good deeds (such as slaying an evil dragon) ;)

[ekedolphin]

OOTS #198:

Welcome back, Rich! Glad to see you're (apparently) doing better. And nice touch, incorporating your real-life injury into the strip with Elan having the exact same problem. Unless you and Elan are the same person, which would explain why no one's ever seen both of you in the same place at the same time.

As always whenever we have The Order together, Roy gets the best lines. Elan and Roy are Abbott and Costello, I think, or George and Gracie or something. Definitely an homage to the classic "odd couple" of comedy.

Elan: "You know, I've been thinking..."
Roy: "I've had nightmares that start this way."

Roy: "Great. He spends points on Perform (Kazoo), and now I have to make a Knowledge (Limits Of My Own Sanity) skill check."

[Bogardan_Mage]

Is that a theory as to why the hilt is "teal"? Er, RIGHT! Yeah, he found a new broken sword that just happens to perfectly match his old sword so he threw away his old sword. But it has a teal hilt. Just like those new boots! Okay I see now.

What? No I didn't mean to be sarcastic.
Who says the new one's broken? It might be an art upgrade on the sword, or it might be a new sword (and since the green hilt is rather important, changing it for the sake of an art upgrade doesn't make alot of sense.)

[Nikolai_II]

Who says the new one's broken? It might be an art upgrade on the sword, or it might be a new sword (and since the green hilt is rather important, changing it for the sake of an art upgrade doesn't make alot of sense.)

The hilt is still green, and there is still no pointy edge sticking out by his hips, making me think that it is the same sword.

[ObadiahtheSlim]

Guys, it was an art upgrade. Its just that Elan blew it by noticing the changes.

I really liked how Elan sprained his wrist like the Giant did. Perhaps the Giant secretly wants to be Elan?

[The_Meal]

Great to have you back, Rich!

I've come to the conclusion that you could draw the next 200 episodes of just Belkar riding the weinerdog and I'd laugh at each one of them!

Thank Banjo for the short week this week...

~Neal

[Brother_Hood]

Welcome Back, Rich!

for the record, I blew my "Limits of Ones own Sanity" check years ago. Not that I miss my mind...

[sniffles]

Ahhhh.... (contented sigh)

If I have to be at work today, at least there's a new issue of OotS to keep me smiling. Glad you're doing better, Rich! :)

[Aeek]

I just figured everyone had mismatched boots. That is, everyone who isn't barefoot.


I was fooled by the toes on Belkar's boots into thinking he was barefoot. But he's not drawn in the barefoot style.

So, who's toes are they? (He was wearing them way back in #1.)

[Adghar]

Actually, Belkar is about the only one barefoot. Any normal "stick" feet are shoe-covered feet. Only Haley's and Roy's boots are large enough to notice. Belkar also is a sturdy halfling, therefore the feet are all thick and hairy and stuff.

This was a semi-official answer since the issue of stick feet have been covered before by the Giant in a previous thread, so :P

[Bjorm]

Yay!! Great comic. I think I had a rel laughgasm ;D
Rich have clearly been saving up good ideas during his timeout :)

[GypsyThorn]

So, two big bags, heavy enough to have to be pulled by two horses PLUS all the stuff that went into Haley's BOH (once the cart was out)

Anyone care to guess what's the total value in cash and merchandise our goups has won here today?

(I'm guessing about 100K)

[GreyRat]

Judging from past experience, while in the wilderness the value of treasure is less than the that of your food rations- and your chances of getting your lucre to market are inversely proportional to its value (at least in the games I've played!) :-/
Anyway, don't count the OotS's chickens until the Giant lets them hatch.

Hee, hee. I can't wait until they meet Zykon again, and poor Roy realizes his Tantrum of Righteousness didn't get the job done. Wonder how much gloating Xykon will do. And if he'll get all peeved because Roy's been dragging his crown around on a string.

[Qwernt]

So, which annoys Roy more, Elan's Kazoo, or Elan speaking?

[TheOneTrueProphet]

Good to see ya back, Rich! Anyways, about the Knowledge(Limits of My own Sanity) check, about a few years ago I thought to try something like that. I subjected myself to as many extremly annoying things I could find in an effort to make myself go insane. I didn't work though. (At least I think so ???)

[Hamburger]

Well, if I can reply to a topic from yesterday, I think the boots, like the eyes, are supposed to be larger or smaller to show perspective, occasional oddities notwithstanding. Otherwise, with perfectly round heads and sticks for legs, it would be really hard to tell with way people are facing/standing.

For example, in panel #2 (of #198 ), it's easier to tell that Roy has turned just his head and not his whole body, until he does turn in panel #3. (Granted, you can also tell by the armor, crown, and sword hilt.)

It would be interesting to see if there's a comic where his boots don't line up with his sword hilt.

Granted, Haley's boots in panels #4 and #5 seem backward, like she's standing sort of twisted, and Roy's eyes are backward pretty consistently... but I'm pretty sure the sizes supposed to indicate perspective, not mismatchedness.

[Nameless]

Am I the only one who thinks this comic doesn't seem to flow right from the previous few? There could have so easily been a few comics while they were hauling loot, or even a whole sidequest involving the dragon mentioned in #188. The jump of a few weeks seems a bit unnatural as well. The blue guy was not very far behind them before, so it would make sense he would have caught up by now...

And with the amount of gold and loot they have, HOW are they going to cash it in at the town? It looks to me like they have more gold than the whole town is worth!

just my 2c.

[KreenWarrior]

The skip of a few weeks didn't really happen in the OotS universe so much as it was a reference to the fact that the Giant sprained his wrist. So I doubt we'll see any effect. On the other hand, maybe blue boy will show up next strip.

[Aeek]

So, which annoys Roy more, Elan's Kazoo, or Elan speaking?



Roy should appreciate Elan's bardic song WITHOUT Elan being able to speak.
Remember Bluff, Bluff, Bluff the stupid Ogre (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=4)

[Nikolai_II]

Krackoom!

I think I see where #200 might be headed :o

[silveraxe]

Oh, the anticipation! :o

[Sc00by]

oh em eff gee...

The manure is about to interface with the air conditioning...

And I can't wait! ;D

[Eloco]

On the other hand, maybe blue boy will show up next strip.

You never know.. ;D

[Sylian]

Hopefully we will se who Blue Guy is in the next strip.
Strip 200. Extra long strip.

I hope it will be posted friday.

[GreyRat]

Oh, my. Oh yessss!

This one gets the fist-pump of anticipation!

(And apart from the potential drama, they need to stop before Belkar's 'mount' becomes a floating pool noodle. ;D Too bad he got stuck with the family model instead of the sport one (greyhound). Maybe he could trade in for a labrador, get some off-road action going.)

Anyway. Blue guy of dooooom. Bring it.

[AtomicKitKat]

Nice backlighting with the lightning.

[sisha]

I'm crying.
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Rich, you're a genious. Really.

[Nighthawk4]

'Perhaps the Blue Guy will catch up with them soon' - very nice precognition there. :D

Rich - no offence, but please, please take it easy - rest your hand before Friday. Since the last time we saw the Blue Guy, he was slicing and dicing the evil sorceress and her father, I really don't want to have to wait beyond Friday for the next installment.

A really great strip - not so much for what actually happened, but for the dramatic cliffhanger.

On the other hand, Elan was perfectly correct - how often can anyone say that? ;)

[Rambling_Scribe]

I'm not normally one to chime in with a 'great comic Rich', but today I have to.

I've always been impressed with what you do with the limitations set by your chosen art style, but today's blew me away. The lighting effects of the storm were beautiful.

[Q]

All I can say about #199.


Niiiiiiice.


;D

[Beamup]

All I have to say about #199 is this...

CURSE YOU, GIANT!!! Making us wait till Friday after a cliffhanger like that.

OK, I had a bit more to say, too. Does Roy in this strip remind anyone else of #36?

[ObadiahtheSlim]

Bad Elan! Your supposed to stay in character and not metagame!!

Great comic though Rich!

[Nikolai_II]

All I have to say about #199 is this...

CURSE YOU, GIANT!!! Making us wait till Friday after a cliffhanger like that.


Hmm.. maybe he will call in sick for this friday, making you wait for monday instead? ;)

[The Glyphstone]

Bad Elan! Your supposed to stay in character and not metagame!!

Great comic though Rich!

Elan's perfectly IC. Remember, he's a bard. He's probably got max ranks in Knowledge(Plot) or Knowledge(Literary Drama). Even with his Int penalty, it'd be a pretty high modifier.

[The_Sleeping_Man]

Nice cliffhanger.

[Zalathar]

Great comic :)

[Sylian]

All I have to say about #199 is this...

CURSE YOU, GIANT!!! Making us wait till Friday after a cliffhanger like that.

OK, I had a bit more to say, too. Does Roy in this strip remind anyone else of #36?
If he had post it on friday, you would have to wait untill monday for the next strip, so consider yourself lucky.

Hope, hope, hope, hope, hope that the Giant post the next strip on friday!

::)

[cerebus151]

That was sooooooo sweet!

#199 made me so happy that I started clapping in my seat. My 13 month old daughter looked at me as if I had lost my mind.

Sweet.

[Lawful_Stupid]

Great cliffhanger comic! Finally, OotS vs. Blue Boy! There's just one thing that's a little odd. Why didn't the OotS see the bodies of Sam and her dad while they were leaving the forest? And we saw that Blue Boy was in the forest previously, so why did they run into him outside of it?

[mastroyo]

NICE NICE NICE NICE NICE NICE...

One Comic that made my top 10, top 5 even..

[Aeek]

I thought predictions were supposed to cause evasive replotting?

If the blue guy is coming towards them the bandit bodies are behind him.

Nice.

[MostlyHarmless]

AWESOME! I had the ominous "DUM, DUM, DUMMMM" music playing in my head.

[Brother_Hood]

I almost think Roy would trust Elan more if he didn't actually know him. :D

Love it!

[wolf_mage]

Hee hee, that was excellent, I've been grinning ear to ear for five minutes now... :D

*can't wait for Friday*

Oh, and I agree about how impressive the lightning effect was.

[Starla]

Great cliffhanger comic! Finally, OotS vs. Blue Boy! There's just one thing that's a little odd. Why didn't the OotS see the bodies of Sam and her dad while they were leaving the forest? And we saw that Blue Boy was in the forest previously, so why did they run into him outside of it?

The forest was big. And why would they want to pass by Samantha and her dad? Oots has a track record of not checking up on plot details like the Linear guild in prison or Xykon's plot see #121.



On the other hand they might have left the carts behind and filled the bags of holding with loot ;-)


I think they would rather not hand all the gold to Haley's keeping (the bags of holding belong to her and are worth quite abit alone)

I remember when I saved a npc's life. I told him to climb into my bag of holding. My husband (the DM) had me role--for charisma I think--to see if the npc could trust me with out knowing me. Of course my charisma was 18 so it was handy.

[Pharazon]

Ah, man... going on vacation saturday, won't have internet for 2 weeks... pleeease don't skip Friday!

[Nanaki]

Haley was in the other cart, right? Because i can't see her in the strip... ???

[wolf_mage]

Haley was in the other cart, right? Because i can't see her in the strip... ???
I imagine that she and V are in the other cart, yeah.

[tazzlair]

Does Roy in this strip remind anyone else of #36?


So true, this is classic Roy mentallity here. I like to call it "big brain syndrome" If he didn't think of it, then it must not be possible"

Great strip, I can't wait till Friday!!

[whmice]

that wos nice! lol
actualy i was hoping that nothing would actualy happen or that somthing terribly minor would happen, like the horses color whould change.. :D

[silvadel]

Fate does not like to be mocked....

[Nikolai_II]

Ah, man... going on vacation saturday, won't have internet for 2 weeks... pleeease don't skip Friday!

HEY!

Are you me?

(Although I won't loose internet until monday, but my vacation begins saturday and I'll be two eeks w/o internet)

[dascribe]

Ah, Metanarrative. It feels so good in my belly and tends to still create the dramatic effect it was created for. I cannot wait for This Friday's Strip. It's gonna be good.

[Silmarwen]

"Nothing dramatic - KRAKAKOOM - is about to happen"

;D :D :D :D :D


Anyway, I've noticed that Giant has started creating really complex panels since the art-upgrade. He's getting better and better at this don't you think? ;)

[Kasur]

Totally.

Jojojo, I'd love this stuff. But I don't think that we'll know the real identity of the blue guy untill Monday. ;)

[Darasen]

Great cliffhanger for #200.
Of course Roy still does not have a sword.

[Sylvius]

I had the ominous "DUM, DUM, DUMMMM" music playing in my head.

I was her first husband!

[Lilly]

I have picked the wrong time to have a vacation. This is a great cliffhanger, it's going to lead to something spectacular, and I'm not going to get resolution until Monday. Huzzah.

But the lightning effects are awsome.

[whmice]

HEY!

Are you me?

(Although I won't loose internet until monday, but my vacation begins saturday and I'll be two eeks w/o internet)
vacation time! mine starts the followig week and lasts 5 days

[Kaerou]

Awesomne lighting effects!

hehe... Thats some damn good hiding skill.. camoflage...

I think he must be a really high level ranger...

[The_King_of_Durf]

Wow :o Awesome!!! I love the comic, so suspenseful! I can't wait until Friday. WHAT is going to happen!?

[sktarq]

you people doo realize that Elan will be playing the kazoo to aid his fellow OotS members in the comming conflict (buzz buzz buzz)

[jamwno]

I love how Belkar puts on his halfling-stealth cloak in the time it takes for a bolt of lightning to hit. Quick-Don, anyone? ;)

[Nameless]

Heh, that was cool. Nice lighting effects indeed. I was kind of hoping for something to happen between Elan and Haley though...

[Pvednes]

Heh, Roy needs to start listening on matters of theatrics.

[Lilly]

Heh, that was cool. Nice lighting effects indeed. I was kind of hoping for something to happen between Elan and Haley though...

SHHHH! (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=comics;action=display;num=1109876475 ;start=315#315) Try over there.

[Sneak]

I love how Belkar puts on his halfling-stealth cloak in the time it takes for a bolt of lightning to hit. Quick-Don, anyone? ;)

I didn't notice that until you pointed it out. And yes, that was an awesome comic, especially the appearance of MCBG.

KRAKAKOW!

[Winged One]

The following must be said here before friday, and the duty falls to me: Dun, Dun, Duunnn!

[Eriol]

I love how Belkar puts on his halfling-stealth cloak in the time it takes for a bolt of lightning to hit. Quick-Don, anyone? ;)
I dunno. There easily could have been a few seconds between the "lightning" frame, and the "pouring rain" frame that was next. So I don't see anything special about the speed. Just a nice touch that he remembered to put his hood up.

But on that note, why didn't Elan? Elan CLEARLY says in 198 that he got a new clasp for his cloak, and therefore it goes to figure that he'd have a hood too, so why wouldn't he put it up? Bandaged arm is one reason, but even with that he'd probably WANT to shield himself from the rain I'd think.

Still, anxiously awaiting 200...



And btw, does anybody else notice this is one of the few times that Elan is (or seems like he's going to be) 100% right? I wonder which other times that's true too...

[Nightmarenny]

Anything involing over donesuspense stuff. Such as why noone told Elan and Nale that they were brothers.

[Nerd-o-rama]

hehe... Thats some damn good hiding skill.. camoflage...

I think he must be a really high level ranger...
Take it rom a man who's played way to much Metal Gear Solid 3: rain makes hiding a whole lot easier.

Hmm...I wonder if Roy's dad is somehow causing the storm...

*smacks self for obscurity*

[mastroyo]

Well, Roy is: Surprised by the Blue Guy, flat footed, without a weapon AND against a guy that killed a guy that had already defeated Roy, in a single round....

I believe we are getting dangerously close to a 'resurection-based' series of comics.

;D

[Nightmarenny]

To be fair that guy didn't realy get Roy. A twist of fate and 20 ton Rhino did ;D

[Ikkitosen]

Friday's comic is going to be GREAT.

[Sir_Banjo]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

Did anyone else have a flashback to the time Roy came out of the bushes and clubed that bandit?

[Kasur]

you people doo realize that Elan will be playing the kazoo to aid his fellow OotS members in the comming conflict (buzz buzz buzz)

OMG!!! But, I'm sure that he will save all the party at the end.

[The_King_of_Durf]

Of course he will, with his +5 Kazoo of Flaming Burst!
Can't wait until Friday :o

[whmice]

<polymorph troll>
ARG me must see cartoon 200, me take hair out of head!
me must find Rich! swirrly thingie!
-blip-

[The_King_of_Durf]

A particularly malicious though has just occured to me... Friday's comic will not be about the Blue Guy, it'll be about Xykon, Rich will leave us hanging some more... oh noes!

[Grey Watcher]

A particularly malicious though has just occured to me... Friday's comic will not be about the Blue Guy, it'll be about Xykon, Rich will leave us hanging some more... oh noes!

I doubt it. It reads like he switched back to the Order so that he could SHOW this confrontation in the first place. We already switched over to Xykon. and hadn't seen the Order for about 10 strips, all the while knowing Mr./Ms. Cloak was quite near to the Order. I doubt he'd go all Brian Jaques/Robert Jordan on us now.

[mastroyo]

What if Rich doesn't post the new comic, and explains that 'absolutely nothing dramatic ... is gonna happen"?

I AM TURNING TO SEE BEHIND ME, FOR SURE!

:P

PS: I hope Haley scored a 20 on the Spot check, after all, she's nowhere to be seen. Maybe she's sneaking behing the Blue Guy...!!!

(this comment/preditcion IS too late for the Giant to be influenced with, so don't yell! ::))

[RandomNPC]

banjo is going to come in, throw around some divine intervention, and make everything better in two panels, the rest of the "extended" 200th comic will be oots and bluecloak having a picnic and playing mini-golf

[Nightmarenny]

YAAAAAAAAAAY MINIGOLF ;D

[ekedolphin]

OOTS #199:

Ooooooh! Da Blue Guy is in da house, and he's TAKING OVER! (Bonus points to you if you know that reference.)

Great reveal there, with the audience (but not the Order) seeing Blue Guy's silhouette, but then he disappears. You don't think the special 200th comic is gonna involve everyone being killed, and that's the end of the series, do you? Say it ain't so.

But as badly as he beat Samantha and her father (granted, they were badly injured), and shrugged off her magic and all that, and given the fact that the entire Order minus Durkon got their butts handed to them by her...

This is setting up to be one epic confrontation indeed.

[Nightmarenny]

Did anyone not notice the blue guy the first time? I went to the last box didn't get the joke and then weht back :-[

[Darkspear]

Only a half hour until 12:00 on the East Coast. I do hope it is updated at midnight, but I doubt it will be.

Here's to hope! :)

[RandomNPC]

eke, what do you mean first time? is he in an earlier picture, or do you mean you wanted roy to finish his sentance and you missed the idea of the second to last pannel due to looking for the rest of the sentance?

[Nightmarenny]

doce

[SacredStorm]

Oh my gee wiz...It's 12:21!!! Man anyone else feeling giddy? lol Sigh, I hope I don't sleep in! ;D

[Nightmarenny]

Every minute all hurty. Can't.......wait.....arg!!!!

[Winged One]

And so, awaiting the expected gift, the denizens of the internet began tp chant "Must have OOTS, Must have OOTS..."

[mastroyo]

2am here. Done waiting. I hope I have a better breakfast with OoTS than with tomorrow's paper, considering London. :-/

It's gonna be such a breakfast.

;D

[Aeek]

4:37pm EST here, and I understand TheGiant considers it late if its not up by 5pm EST.

Course, it could be a different EST.

[sisha]

10 o'clock in the morning (Italy), office job coming up, but still waiting for the

200

...

[Sundog]

YOU WIMPS! It's 4:20 PM here and I haven't even started to whine yet! Much...

[Sc00by]

refresh, refresh, refresh, refresh the comics page constantly...

[AtomicKitKat]

1900 hours here. :P

[Nikolai_II]

refresh, refresh, refresh, refresh the comics page constantly...

Aha! So it is your fault the comic isn't updating. Your DoS attack put undue strains on the server that in turn prevents the Giant from successfully uploading his extra-large epic successfully. >:(

( ;))

[The Giant]

4:37pm EST here, and I understand TheGiant considers it late if its not up by 5pm EST.

Course, it could be a different EST.

Probably is. According to my clock, you posted that at 2:29 AM. And for the record, it's late at 9:00 AM, not 5:00 PM.

Anyway, the bad news is, strip #200 is NOT double- or triple-length, as suggested. The good news is, that's because it's QUADRUPLE length.

I apologize in advance for slow load times.

[Zalathar]

Lord Almighty that was fantastic... I think I had a 200gasm.

[Lawful_Stupid]

Holy... that is one BIG comic!!! Never did expect them to see Bluey's face. But it was nice to see Haley participate in melee combat for once. Now I'm gonna go crazy waiting until Monday for the next one!

[Sundog]

Well, whatever I was expecting, it was NOT a half-monk half-paladin. With two-weapon fighting.

Boy, is she going to be surprised when her smite evil doesn't do the extra damage! I just hope Roy is still alive afterwards...

[Vhesper]

So....

Monk/Paladin/Samurai anyone? :-X

[Sundog]

No actual need for the Samurai part, from what I can see.

Paladin 5 minimum, Monk 1 minimum - for argument's sake, cal it 5 for no xp penalty. Human. More than enough feats for two-weapon fighting.

[Silmarwen]

YIPPIE YIPPIE YIAAA!!!

Holy mother of God!!! 4 comics!!!! ;D



Don't worry everyone. Smite Evil won't do much harm on Roy as he is just NOT evil.
Btw what is the Saphire Guard?

[silveraxe]

She's wearing armor, so no monk.

However, rangers in 3.5 get evasion, and we've seen her track, and Stunning [Insert Unarmed Attack] is available as a feat to high Wis type.

So, Paladin/Ranger is my guess.

[Ikkitosen]

I agree - Paladin/Ranger. Divine Grace, Track, TWF, Smite Evil, Stunning Fist (Feat), high Diplomacy, Bonded Mount, Evasion. All present and accounted for!

[Runolfr]

No actual need for the Samurai part, from what I can see.

Paladin 5 minimum, Monk 1 minimum - for argument's sake, cal it 5 for no xp penalty. Human. More than enough feats for two-weapon fighting.

Roughly equal levels aren't required. For a human, the highest-level class is always the favored class, so a human with only two classes never has an experience penalty.

[Runolfr]

I agree - Paladin/Ranger. Divine Grace, Track, TWF, Smite Evil, Stunning Fist (Feat), high Diplomacy, Bonded Mount, Evasion. All present and accounted for!

Improved Unarmed Strike is a pre-requisite for Stunning Fist, so your build requires it.

[Ohtar_Turinson]

I suspect that after Blue Girl's nature being revealed, she had a distraction factor going for her... I liked Roy's "Wow" and later "Hey, baby, listen..."

More pseudo-romance for OotS perhaps? Well... if Roy survived, anyway.

[ambra]

thank you so much

that was great

[jamwno]

I'm somewhat doubtful of the Ranger bit, and am leaning to Palladin / Monk (with maybe a bit of Samurai). People seem to be citing Track, Two-Weapon Fighting, evasion and the animal companion as reasons she's a ranger.

1) Track is an easy feat to get. No need for a ranger.
2) Rangers don't get evasion until 9th level. Since we know she has divine grace, that would make her at LEAST a 11th level character. Monks get evasion at 2nd level, which is much more reasonable.
3) The slash and kick move: Full attack, slash at high bonus, kick at low attack. From the SRD: A monk’s attacks may be with either fist interchangeably or even from elbows, knees, and feet.
4) People have said that she's not a monk because they can't wear armor. Not true, monks just lose flurry, fast movement, and the AC bonus while wearing armor. Now, if she's a ranger, then wearing heavy armor should take away her two-weapon fighting, which she is clearly using.
5) Animal companion -> special mount. 'Nuff said.

So, i propose a Samurai 1 / Monk 2 / Palladin 5 (probably higher, but that's all she needs off the bat.
Non-bonus feats: Track, Improved two-weapon fighting (There were 5 slashes in a full attack, and i'm assuming BAB is >6 but <11).

And I know the Giant bends the rules when it suits him to do so, so maybe she is part ranger after all. I just know i enjoy trying to figure this stuff out :)

[Jarawara]

OH NO!!!

I know what's happened! What a tragedy! What a sorrow! I know who has....

....hmmm...

...I think I'll wander over to the Sealed Predictions thread.

:)

[Starla]

I think the quadruple length is not the only reason for slow loading Giant. I think I was competing with 1,000's of other people to get on the website at 7:30am this morning. Before you know it people will be lining up at bookstore for YOUR books instead of Harry Potter books.

So is the reason Haley doesn't do combat because she likes the way she looks? or because ELAN likes the way she looks? I like the smooch before she goes off to battle.

I don't think Roy is dead--even if he was they are near a town with a temple where he could probably be resurrected...I think the evil smiting worked but I won't say more.

[Ranger-Man]

Well, whatever I was expecting, it was NOT a half-monk half-paladin. With two-weapon fighting.

Boy, is she going to be surprised when her smite evil doesn't do the extra damage! I just hope Roy is still alive afterwards...
I doubt that he's dead just maimed or they'll raise him

[sniffles]

Agh!!! Damnit!! (sorry - I was channeling Belkar for a second) ;D

How can I make it til Monday!? I can't wait to see what happens when her smite evil doesn't do extra smitey badness to Roy.

[Nikolai_II]

Holy... that is one BIG comic!!! Never did expect them to see Bluey's face. But it was nice to see Haley participate in melee combat for once. Now I'm gonna go crazy waiting until Monday for the next one!

You go crazy? I'll be gone for two whole weeks.. I'll have to scrounge up some sort of connection somewhere just to see how split Roy is..

[erisian]

Well, smite evil won't split Roy too badly unless Roy is secretly evil.

WHAT A TERRIFIC BUNDLE OF COMICS!!!!! OH YAY!!!!

Now I am conflicted ... on one hand I don't want Rich to suffer sprained wrists, but on the other hand this feels like Christmas!! I wish we could get this every day!

Just awesome!

[Barnas]

I must admit, these current strips have me more enthralled than any other sequence has had.

I can't wait until monday.

As proof of how captivated I am, I'm actually now reading the forums! And *gasp* posting with the account I made whenever it was.

Can't wait... can't wait...

[Nerd-o-rama]

Hah! I knew it was going to be a woman! Well, I figured it would be since you folks kept insisting on referring to Mysterious Blue Cloaked Figure as Mysterious Blue Guy ::)

Anyway, wonderufl stuff. Very dramatic, and it's good to see a DM remembering all the penalties associated with rain.

So...this lady seems to have completely outclassed the Stickers, both in level and tactical advantage. The fact that Durkon is smart enough to surrender and talk things out didn't help them in combat either.

And of course, everything Elan predicted came 100% true. Naturally.

And who is this "Lord Shojo," I wonder...?

[Wolfie]

gah.
A paladin-monk-whatever??
Smite Evil???
lol ;D

can't wait to see what happens next!

[ObadiahtheSlim]

WOW! Excellent work. It appears our Blue guy girl is a Paladin/Monk. BTW did anyone notice how they had someone trying to kill someone, someone being a traitor (Durkon), and a first kiss.

[Aidan305]

As I pointed out in the 'The Blue Guy' thread, there is a class in Dragon324 called the Wild Defender. A Ranger with Smite Evil attacks.

In other news...

Aaaaarrrrrgh! Cliffhanger weekend! What will appen to Roy?!

[Winged One]

Dun, dun, duuunnnh!

Cliffhangers are fun. The computer is your friend. ;D

[Ebon_Drake]

Cool comic, worth the wait.

who is this "Lord Shojo," I wonder...?
I..don't know. At first i thought it was perhaps a God she followed, but then more likely I thought it was the guy she was bowing to in #120, which would mean he's not Dorukan as some people had predicted. Also, He wasn't mentioned as one of the people in Dorukan's party in #196.

[Eriol]

WOW! Excellent work. It appears our Blue guy girl is a Paladin/Monk. BTW did anyone notice how they had someone trying to kill someone, someone being a traitor (Durkon), and a first kiss.
Awesome point. I think the "traitor" thing is pushing it, but still, essentially true.

I think Durkon recognized Good easily. He knew something. Some sign, or other indication that the person was Good, and not Evil. I hope we find out exactly how/why.

Still, now we need to wait for 201!!

[Vhesper]

The reason I mentioned Samurai being in the mix is because it is the easiest (read Munchkin) way to pick up the two Exotic Weapon Feats (Katana and Wakazashi) required before even taking in to account the two weapon fighting. ;)

[Taelas]

Something about her made Durkon's Wis score go into overdrive.

[wolf_mage]

Hehe, that was awesome. And yeah, so much for "I don't think there's any smooching coming up soon!"!

[Aeek]

WOW! Excellent work. BTW did anyone notice how they had someone trying to kill someone, someone being a traitor (Durkon), and a first kiss.

also WOW. No, didn't notice. Elan is so good at theatrics.

[silvadel]

Well we certainly saw improved evasion in action there.

5 attacks is pretty... Probably 3 attacks + 2 attacks with the off-hand...

As for her being a paladin/monk I think it is more likely that she is a champion of torm/monk or similar(IE champion of X)

She just doesnt seem GOOD to me... More Lawful Neutral....

----

And Varsuuvius REALLY needs to work on her concentration skill.... Tanglefoot bag shouldnt be so devastating at her level (guess con was her dump stat)...

[xolik]

Pretty cool strips, but the cliched 'mysterious bad-ass that turns out to be OMG FEMALE!!11!!!' is seriously overdone.

[Sophistemon]

This is... wow. I am constantly amazed at the amount of storytelling that the Giant can pack into a couple of stick figures, not to mention the amount of detail. I hate having to wait until Monday for the answers to my questions, but it appears that I have no choice. Oh well...

[Peregrine]

Okay okay okay. Let's stay calm. Roy's not going to die. He's not evil! That 'splortch' is just a bit of exaggeration! ...right? :o

So... Blue Girl? Paladin, monk, ranger...?

Paladin, evidence for: Smite Evil, "grace of my gods" (Divine Grace), intelligent horse (Paladin mount). Against: bathing blades in blood is not exactly a Good approach to justice, though certainly Lawful. Nonetheless I think the skills named make this conclusive.

Monk, evidence for: "stunning kick" (Stunning Fist, using the fact that unarmed strikes, especially a monk's, don't have to be with hands at all), lots of flashy attacks that could be a Flurry. Also Lawful, and with a heavy Eastern flavour (swords appear to be daisho, "Lord Shojo", and Soon from Dorukan's old party -- the guy with the matching cloak and, we see now, matching armour -- had a distinct Fu Manchu look going). Against: the swords are not Flurryable weapons, she's wearing armour. Draw your own conclusions.

Ranger, evidence for: two weapons, tracking, speaking with animals, "jumps" like Haley (Evasion). Against: nothing specific that I can see.

I'm leaning towards Pal/Rgr multiclass myself. And Lightblade, this doesn't make her unduly high level; she's flogging the OotS and we know they're on the order of 10th level.

If I could stop biting my fingers long enough to take this analysis and turn it into speculation, I'd hie myself to the Sealed Predictions thread... as it is... is it Monday yet? :-/

[Sylian]

Pretty cool strips, but the cliched 'mysterious bad-ass that turns out to be OMG FEMALE!!11!!!' is seriously overdone.
If he was male, it still would be overdone. ::)

[Arent]

Paladin/Ranger sounds correct.

The "Smite Evil" I think hit Durkon since he was running in at last minute, but he is a cleric so it won't harm him. Roy, as previously said is not evil. Belkar though could have gotten free and tried to save Roy and it could have killed him since there is proof that he is evil in comic # 11 with him resisting "Unholy Blight".

I'm even more amazed at the fact that it's 4x normal length.

[Nightmarenny]

Okay okay okay. Let's stay calm. Roy's not going to die. He's not evil! That 'splortch' is just a bit of exaggeration! ...right? :o

So... Blue Girl? Paladin, monk, ranger...?

Paladin, evidence for: Smite Evil, "grace of my gods" (Divine Grace), intelligent horse (Paladin mount). Against: bathing blades in blood is not exactly a Good approach to justice, though certainly Lawful. Nonetheless I think the skills named make this conclusive.

Monk, evidence for: "stunning kick" (Stunning Fist, using the fact that unarmed strikes, especially a monk's, don't have to be with hands at all), lots of flashy attacks that could be a Flurry. Also Lawful, and with a heavy Eastern flavour (swords appear to be daisho, "Lord Shojo", and Soon from Dorukan's old party -- the guy with the matching cloak and, we see now, matching armour -- had a distinct Fu Manchu look going). Against: the swords are not Flurryable weapons, she's wearing armour. Draw your own conclusions.

Ranger, evidence for: two weapons, tracking, speaking with animals, "jumps" like Haley (Evasion). Against: nothing specific that I can see.

I'm leaning towards Pal/Rgr multiclass myself. And Lightblade, this doesn't make her unduly high level; she's flogging the OotS and we know they're on the order of 10th level.

If I could stop biting my fingers long enough to take this analysis and turn it into speculation, I'd hie myself to the Sealed Predictions thread... as it is... is it Monday yet? :-/
Samerai, evidence for-Daishdo, Oriental influence, flashy yet simple fighting that reminds me of anime.
Against-He hasn't even finished making fun of the base class yet.

I say Samerai monk with a few levels in Paliden.

[jamwno]

Ranger, evidence for: two weapons, tracking, speaking with animals, "jumps" like Haley (Evasion). Against: nothing specific that I can see.

I'm leaning towards Pal/Rgr multiclass myself. And Lightblade, this doesn't make her unduly high level; she's flogging the OotS and we know they're on the order of 10th level.
:-/

If she's wearing a mithril breastplate, then I agree with you; otherwise her ranger Two-Weapon fighting goes away. It's just hard to tell what type of armor stick-figure armor is. And there's a nice feat in one of the books that lets you combine ranger and pally levels for certain class abilities, which would be fairly appropriate.

[Matuse]

Am I the only one who thinks that the Mysterious Blue Girl is kinda hot?

[Nightmarenny]

Dude I totaly dig Asian stick figure chicks ::)

[Winged One]

Roy agrees with you.

[Simonious]

Roy isn't in any danger from the Smite Evil since it will (http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/theraven_stephenh/classes/PALADIN.html do no damage to him... So unless he is actually evil, or Belkar got away from the horse, the splorch is merely cliffhangeritis.

[Grey Watcher]

Personally, I loved that the Cloaked Avenger is a woman. Maybe it's just the teeny tiny little feminist in me talking, but, I thought it was cool.

I also love how quickly she flies off the handle. I mean, I don't think Roy was necessarily warming up for a fight. "...we're not surrendering without a little-" and I assumed the next word was going to be "explanation." But, of course, she's so gung-ho about getting the evildoers that she stopped listening after "we're not surrendering."

But yeah, I thought it was really cool. I considering Roy's seated, and that she used two hands, she might actually kill him anyway. Though if he survives, I imagine that her confusion that her Smite didn't work will give her enough pause to allow Durkon to get in some talk to bring her back to sanity.

[Winged One]

1. You're right, he won't be affected.
2. The link code here is
text goes here (insert url here)
3. He can still be killed by being whacked with a sword.

[Nightmarenny]

Ironicly I just beat Destroy All Humans which has like the same twist. ;D

[Adghar]

5 attacks... She is GOOD... :o

I personally believe that when it means that the smite has no effect, it means the bonus, but MBCG still has a mean normal attack and roy looks pretty injured there.


Cool comic, worth the wait.
I..don't know. At first i thought it was perhaps a God she followed, but then more likely I thought it was the guy she was bowing to in #120, which would mean he's not Dorukan as some people had predicted. Also, He wasn't mentioned as one of the people in Dorukan's party in #196.

I should do this in Sealed Predictions, but how do you know his full name is not Dr. Lord Soon Shojo the 4th Esquire? It's perfectly possible Lord Shojo and Soon are one and the same.

[Simonious]

I guess it depends on how the DM interprets the rule on whether or not there is any sword damage. I could see it either way.

[Sneak]

THE AWESOMENESS BLINDS ME! That is probably the most awesome comic ever.

And we have to wait until MONDAY for the next strip!

*goes insane*

Anyway, I was kind of surprised how Roy seemed to be attracted to the Blue Girl, as before he never showed anything like that.

[GreyRat]

I think Belkar's dilemma is my favorite. I hate it when animal opponents do inappropriate combat manouvers. "It attacks me with all four legs? Then what is it standing on?!" "Uh, I dunno, that's what the book says." "Great, it's breakdancing!" ::)

And Roy's comments could show attraction, but they could just show condescension. I know *I* hate being called 'baby' by someone I've just bested in combat! >:(

And poor V. Hands up all Evokers who hate opponents with Evasion! ;D

[Poeir]

I've actually written up a potential character sheet (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=comics;action=display;num=1117799537 ;start=75#88) for blue girl, as a rogue 2/paladin 10. The character level could be higher, but everything that character has done (save speak with the weasel, which can be attributed to rules bending when it makes it funny) is covered by that (very strange) build. As a 10th-level paladin, discern lies is slightly too high of level to be able to cast, which complicates things until the Servant of Lord Shojo levels.

[Mr._C.D._Ward]

See, I don´t really think this weeks strip is that great. I mean it´s an awesome fightscene with drama written all over it, but there is no oots humor in it (except maybe Belkar, you gotta love this guy ;D ). In my opinion there is too much storytelling going on. I loved it when the point of every strip was just telling one big joke (or two or three for that matter 8) ). The story was going forward anyway and once in a while you got a hint about what was really going on. Now I feel Rich is pushing the story too hard. I know he wants the story to end finally and the number 200 ought to be a special one, but I hope he will find back to the old roots of the oots (what a rhyme :o ).

Anyway, as far as dramatic storytelling goes, this one and the last strip were quite impressive :)


PS: If you find any spelling or grammer faults, please correct them.

[Nightmarenny]

I dought that she is a Rogue. She is one of honor. I don't see her infesting something involving deciet(sp)

[Qwernt]

I love the comic. Good story telling (and dropping hints to get people guessing at class - Giant does that on purpose everyone).

This made me wonder how Elan was planned to be out of this fight before a certain wrist was damaged - aka were the two wrists related or not.

One comment on improvments - I think a couple of more Lightning Backed panels would have good for effect - for example, where Blue Girl says "Honorless Dogs". Great time for us not to be able to quite see her. Or maybe the Windstriker attack panel, or even the final panel.

Obviously just random comments. Like I said, great piece of story telling.

[MostlyHarmless]

I dought that she is a Rogue. She is one of honor. I don't see her infesting something involving deciet(sp)

Agreed. Due to her stunning kick, I'm guessing paladin/monk. Maybe with some ranger for double weapons, but that looks to me like Armed Flurry of Blows she's doing all over Roy's poor face.

And Mr._C.D._Ward did you not find the cell with Elan running away, playing the kazoo hilarious? I did.

[Runolfr]

I've actually written up a potential character sheet (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=comics;action=display;num=1117799537 ;start=75#88) for blue girl, as a rogue 2/paladin 10.

How do you deal with the facts that a Paladin must be Lawful Good and a Rogue can not be Lawful?

[Winged One]

They can. You may have rogues confused with Divine Tricksters.