OOTS #581 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[Siosilvar]

Yummy plot/backstory of a newly introduced character!

[Surfing HalfOrc]

Woot! Elan is gettin' some! (Maybe...)

Love the way Crystal gets to advance without even trying. Is that some obscure Prestege Class?

[Lira]

Hmm, a cleric of Loki? I wonder... :smalltongue:

[Hyozo]

Good plot is good.

It's nice to see that they have a plan which may work.

[Siosilvar]

Woot! Elan is gettin' some! (Maybe...)

Love the way Crystal gets to advance without even trying. Is that some obscure Prestege Class?

No, it's an automatic special ability granted by being a personal rival of the PC. See panel 3.

[otakuryoga]

gotta say it....:elan: may indeed be spending the night in a warm bed :smallwink:

....naw..he would never betray :haley: that way


on the other hand maybe Therkla falls into some "cold" water and needs Elan to "keep her warm"

[Maelstrom]

Dind ding ding....incoming roy?

[theKOT]

I think this is one of those strips that will go over much more smoothly in book form. Frankly I just don't see where this Haley plot is going. It seems really decentralized from the main arc and it isn't that interesting on its own. Still, I liked the ending. Heh

[Saurous]

Hmm, a cleric of Loki? I wonder... :smalltongue:

No, no, Pete said "him." It probably isn't Hilgya, unless she somehow managed to kill this new guy's friend and seamlessly take his place.

Unless I'm missing something here, and forgot about another, male Loki cleric running around.

Anyways, great comic, as always. It's amazing how he's only been around for one comic, and I'm already starting to like Blind Pete.

[Lira]

No, no, Pete said "him." It probably isn't Hilgya, unless she somehow managed to kill this new guy's friend and seamlessly take his place.Whoops, I read too quickly I guess. :smalltongue: Oh well, this should still be interesting.

[HOLEkevin]

"Appendix Steve." That killed me.

Funny comic, and good to see a glimmer of cleric-y hope on the horizon.

[mockingbyrd7]

Rich is great at introducing likable characters quickly. We already know a lot about Blind Old Pete's personality, some of his backstory, and that he's totally awesome, in just one strip.

I wonder if a cleric of Loki would be willing to raise Roy, who is Lawful Good. Odds are Loki is Chaotic Neutral or Chaotic Evil.

Appendix Steve cracked me up as well. All in all, an excellent strip. :smallsmile:

[Kyeudo]

Blind Pete reminds me of Roy, only with a slight touch of Alzhiemers.

[Ascension]

I absolutely love the line about the animated public urinal.

Blind Pete's great!

[blackspeeker]

Blind Pete reminds me of Roy, only with a slight touch of Alzhiemers.

Did Roy's grandpa have another son or bastard child we don't know about?

[Icewind136]

Yep, Belkar's definitely more lucid now...I would say the Mark of Justice is wearing off...maybe it's just a timed thing, or maybe it's because Roy was re-animated...darn, I liked him better when he was insane. :smallfrown:
Hehe...love the instant level-up that Crystal gets...very, very good reason to pick a fight with a PC.:smalltongue:
If Elan does end up cheating on Haley, she'll find out. Not only because she's superthief and can thus sneak, it'll add to the drama.

[Fridesgerte]

Great comic. Blind Old Pete is definitely awesome. Even if the reason the regeneration spell didn't last is "Crystal" clear. It's an interesting answer to the question why a character (even an NPC) would remain blind.

[ss49]

Arrgh! Back to the others now?

[Lunaya]

Yep, Belkar's definitely more lucid now...I would say the Mark of Justice is wearing off...maybe it's just a timed thing, or maybe it's because Roy was re-animated...darn, I liked him better when he was insane. :smallfrown:
Hehe...love the instant level-up that Crystal gets...very, very good reason to pick a fight with a PC.:smalltongue:
If Elan does end up cheating on Haley, she'll find out. Not only because she's superthief and can thus sneak, it'll add to the drama.

I don't think the Mark is wearing off so much as migrated south, i.e. vomiting replaced with...something we feared more. :P

I doubt Elan will cheat on Haley. More likely he just doesn't know what Therkla's up to.

[Deepkicker]

Switching to the others now!? The treachery!
Great strip though. I likey new characters! But am I the only one who'd love to meet Appendix Steve?

[mikeejimbo]

Darn, I was hoping the cleric of Loki would be Hilgya, but he said "he".

[Green-Shirt Q]

Damn, Belkar isn't the cheerful, delusional "I'm a centar!", "I'm a unicorn!", Happy Fun Sunshine Land character he was in comics 573-576!:smallfrown:


Darn, I was hoping the cleric of Loki would be Hilgya, but he said "he".
You know, there still is slim hope. Pete IS blind.

[Zolem]

Apendix steve would probably has to call himself Pancreus Steve next. Anyway, I was under the impression that if somebody is made into an undead or construct, that even if it used only their body, you can't rais them from the dead (except with spells that don't require a body).

Also....I declare eternal vengance on V for causing me to obsess about her gender. *ding* *ding* *ding* *ding* *ding* *ding* *ding* *ding* *ding* *ding* *ding* *ding**ding* *ding* *ding* *ding* *ding* *ding* *ding* *ding* *ding* *ding* *ding* *ding* Dang that's a lot of levels.

[Aurorax]

Great! The best way for Elan and Haley to be reunited is for Elan to be hit upon in some compromising way!

[Belkster11]

Did Roy's grandpa have another son or bastard child we don't know about?

I don't think so. Remember, the King of Nowhere looked exactly like Roy, yet he wasn't related to the Greenhilt family by blood or marriage at all.

I think it's just Roy's head being reused for different characters (and edited)

I don't think we're suddenly switching to Elan, V, and Durkon yet. I think it's just a little joke.

Haley: Elan's probably in a worser position than I am.
(Cue Elan meeting Ninja Assassin)

[Warren Dew]

"Appendix Steve." That killed me.

Yes, that was great.

Also, "Have you seen Haley Starshine?" Crystal has to be blonde under that black hair dye.

[Guildorn Tanaleth]

Great, now that everyone has expressed admiration for Blind Pete,

he'll get killed the next time we see him. It'll be the Cliffport police chief all over again!


Apendix steve would probably has to call himself Pancreus Steve next.

But then he'd become Diabetic Steve afterwards. Wouldn't Spleen Steve or, if he's middle-aged, Gall Bladder Steve be a better choice?


Anyway, I was under the impression that if somebody is made into an undead or construct, that even if it used only their body, you can't rais them from the dead (except with spells that don't require a body).

I think that that only applies while the undead/construct is still around. If you destroy it first, then you can bring back the original person.

[Renegade Paladin]

Hee.

And either Elan's about to die, or he's going to die when Haley gets back to him. :smallamused:

[Wright]

This comic forced me to register just so that I could express my appreciation.

I cracked up over the magically-animated public urinal, 160-proof, and Appendix Steve lines. :smallbiggrin: Excellent job, Giant.

[Starknight]

Great Comic! Haley is gonna be mad when she finds out about Elan's friend. I am not sure that I trust Pete, he seems to have a lot of bad luck which could be contagious.

[Estovus]

....naw..he would never betray :haley: that way


Well, he's both Chaotic and self-admittedly irresponsible. I'd say it's a 50-50.

[Logalmier]

I doubt Elan will cheat on Haley. More likely he just doesn't know what Therkla's up to.

I got that impresion too, I think that Therkla just sent him a note and he thoght it would just some sort of secret meeting. You know, the kind superheros hold.

[Ramien]

You know, there still is slim hope. Pete IS blind.

But the cleric of Loki is 'a dear childhood friend' of Pete's, so he had his sight then. Of course, there's still plenty of wiggle room there, especially given Loki's general penchant for trickery.

I also think a priest(ess?) of Loki would be fairly likely to raise Roy, if they knew what's going on. After all, not even Loki would like to see the end of the world.

[Sabre13]

Blind Old Pete is just great. While he doesnt remind me of Roy, he sounds like he should have a southern drawl(moonshine) and is just a barmy old coot. I cant help seeing Crystal eventually killing him though....:eek: I really hope that doesnt happen

Yeah, the MoJ travelling around Belkar's body does sound a lot better than it being gone. i shudder to think of where it goes next :eek:

i really like the :eek: smiley :biggrin:

[Zephra]

Hi, everyone! I'm Tonsils-Zephra. Just incase Anyone gets any ideas... :smalltongue:

awsome comic. Do they have a piece of Roy to ressurect? Isn't Loki evil? And Belkar really seems to be getting better

[silvadel]

But what about the bard charter... http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0160.html

[Doopliss]

Frankly I just don't see where this Haley plot is going.Roy gets resurrected, reveals that Belkar triggered the MoJ? I can hope...


I wonder if a cleric of Loki would be willing to raise Roy, who is Lawful Good. Odds are Loki is Chaotic Neutral or Chaotic Evil.How would he know? Besides, I'm sure Loki wouldn't mind a "Everyone's gold glitters equally" attitude... It's not as if Evil is a specific "side" by any stretch of the word.

Great comic. Since nobody's mentioned it, I especially like Rich's choice of smiley for the title. :smallbiggrin:

[dish]

Great! The best way for Elan and Haley to be reunited is for Elan to be hit upon in some compromising way!

That is ... very true.
But many other things need to happen before said meeting. So I suspect we're going to have some comedy being-hit-on-and-not-realising-it.

[MyrddinDerwydd]

Well, he's both Chaotic and self-admittedly irresponsible. I'd say it's a 50-50.

Heh, sounds like we may have a repeat of the bandits' scene...:smallcool::smallcool:

[Morgan Wick]

Dun dun DUN!!!

[ref]

Cool. What does 160-proof mean, though?

[GooeyChewie]

Hi, everyone! I'm Tonsils-Zephra. Just incase Anyone gets any ideas... :smalltongue:

awsome comic. Do they have a piece of Roy to ressurect? Isn't Loki evil? And Belkar really seems to be getting better

Hi, I'm Prostate-Cancer-GooeyChewie...

And who says there's no cure for cancer.:smallsmile:

[Ramien]

As a side note, I guess we know that a certain rogue/caster has gotten his Arcane Trickster levels... Does this mean he's done sucking (his words, not mine) now? :smallcool:

[Red XIV]

I think this is one of those strips that will go over much more smoothly in book form. Frankly I just don't see where this Haley plot is going. It seems really decentralized from the main arc and it isn't that interesting on its own. Still, I liked the ending. Heh
Haley's been, at least since Celia convinced her to leave Azure City, a lot more oriented toward the main plot than the Elan/Durkon/V group. Well, technically V's been doing stuff that, if it worked, would've helped advance the main plot, but Elan and Durkon have just been helping out the Azure City refugees.

Also, LOL @ the fact that Haley and Belkar are now in a place where V couldn't magically locate them even if Cloister wears off.


I wonder if a cleric of Loki would be willing to raise Roy, who is Lawful Good. Odds are Loki is Chaotic Neutral or Chaotic Evil.
Not for free, I'm sure. But gold is gold. Why should he care what the resurrectee's alignment is when he's getting paid to do it?


But what about the bard charter... http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0160.html
Elan thinks Therlka is a superhero, not a "female bad guy". Thus, not in the charter.:smallbiggrin:

[Ramien]

Elan thinks Therlka is a superhero, not a "female bad guy". Thus, not in the charter.:smallbiggrin:

Elan also know exactly how Haley feels about him now, as well, which makes some things less likely. Back then he didn't know how she felt, even if it was obvious to everyone else.

[dps]

Cool. What does 160-proof mean, though?

"Proof" is the measure of the alcohol content of a beverage. Divide the number in half and you get the percentage of alcohol in the drink. 90 proof whiskey would be 45% alcohol, 100 proof would be 50%, etc., so a 160 proof liquor would be 80% alcohol.

[dragongirl13]

Oh Elan, please reject Therkla, but please be nice about it. I don't think I'd be able to bear it if Haley ended up being cheated on. :smallfrown:

But the thing with Old Blind Pete is pretty good. Never picking a name based on a body part you can't afford to lose is a pretty darn good idea. :smallamused:

[dogmac]

ALWAYS listen to Appendix Steve! Sheesh.

Love how you got around the whole "Haley would be higher in levels now" thing.

And yes, Elan is in danger. BIG danger.

[dps]

As a side note, I guess we know that a certain rogue/caster has gotten his Arcane Trickster levels... Does this mean he's done sucking (his words, not mine) now? :smallcool:

Correction--we know that Haley thinks or assumes that either he has gotten the levels or that the Guild has found someone else who has them.

[tenguro]

Woot! Elan is gettin' some! (Maybe...)

Love the way Crystal gets to advance without even trying. Is that some obscure Prestege Class?

"Don't need nothin' but a good time, How can I resist, Ain't lookin' for nothin' but a good time, And it don't get better than this."-Poison, nothin' but a good time

[AlterForm]

I have not laughed so hard all summer.

Thank you Giant! :smallbiggrin:

[Ruduen]

I wonder how the entire "Personal Rival" thing works. I'd expect it's based on who the PC chooses as their rival, since there are probably plenty of people who swear revenge on PCs, but aren't really rivals. Is whatever causes their rivalry explained in Origins, or is that unknown as well?

But, yeah. Nale's probably Elan's rival, all things considered. We haven't really gotten any assured rivals for the others as far as I remember, though.

And I wonder if Loki knows about who Roy is. After seeing Durkon and Hilgya together, I'd guess that he at least knows who the group's leader is. It could be interesting.

Anyways, great comic. Quite a number of amusing gags in it.

[FoE]

Now I may be blind, but I can see that there will be absolutely no repurcussions from this secret meeting between Elan and Therkla.

[Ganurath]

The Goddess Therkla graces us with her presence once again! On your knees, mortals, and fan(boy/girl)!

[SamDerringer]

A little crazy theory about the cleric of Loki. Given the age, it could be Uncle Myrtok, Eugene´s former adventuring companion. His deity was never specified before. What do you guys think?

[Jake]

My question is, how is Therkla going to get airbourne when Haley finally encounters her?

[Orestes]

That was the best strip lately. I can't stop laughing. Great job, as always!!! love the Personal Rival part!!!!

[Trebuchet]

What a great strip! I was really in the mood for a laugh when I saw the new strip.

Just to muddy the waters, the Norse god Loki was a shapeshifter and could change gender as well. He even got pregnant. Maybe we shouldn't focus so hard on a pronoun.

[Grey Watcher]

A little crazy theory about the cleric of Loki. Given the age, it could be Uncle Myrtok, Eugene´s former adventuring companion. His deity was never specified before. What do you guys think?

Hmmm.... What little we've seen of Uncle Myrtok (and we've seen VERY little) suggests he's a more respectable sort than one might find in Greysky City. Plus, if I recall, he wears a lot of blue and white, and Loki's church seems to favor reds (appropriate for a the God of, among other things, Fire).

Not outside the realm of possibility though. I was just miffed when the pronoun killed my hopes that Hilgya was finally back.

[Red XIV]

But, yeah. Nale's probably Elan's rival, all things considered. We haven't really gotten any assured rivals for the others as far as I remember, though.
Haley and Sabine seriously hate each other, so they could count.

[BRC]

Hmmm.... What little we've seen of Uncle Myrtok (and we've seen VERY little) suggests he's a more respectable sort than one might find in Greysky City. Plus, if I recall, he wears a lot of blue and white, and Loki's church seems to favor reds (appropriate for a the God of, among other things, Fire).

Not outside the realm of possibility though. I was just miffed when the pronoun killed my hopes that Hilgya was finally back.
On the other hand, Loki is, above all else, a Trickster god, so would it really be out-of-character for his clerics to wear colors associated with other deities, or even to claim they were clerics of those deities.

[Blanth]

ALWAYS listen to Appendix Steve! Sheesh.

And yes, Elan is in danger. BIG danger.

Big Sexy Danger! I mean.. oops.

[Blanth]

But then he'd become Diabetic Steve afterwards. Wouldn't Spleen Steve or, if he's middle-aged, Gall Bladder Steve be a better choice?


I do belive you are confused with Spleeny Todd. ;)

[silvadel]

Elan thinks Therlka is a superhero, not a "female bad guy". Thus, not in the charter.:smallbiggrin:

Doesnt matter because he is more useful the less he knows what is going on.

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0558.html

[disorder]

We're not exploring the fell potential of the "Appendix" trick. After all, Crystal is pretty damned dumb...


Crystal: Ha! Did you really think you could escape me, "Poor ol' Pete"? Take THAT!

Pete: Thanks. (Accepts bag of platinum from Crystal.)

[DrivinAllNight]

Great Job Mr B, loved this one immensely, can't wait till Elan finds out that Therkla is not a real superhero!!

[Occasional Sage]

Great Job Mr B, loved this one immensely, can't wait till Elan finds out that Therkla is not a real superhero!!

Not only is she not a superhero... but she has orders to kill him now.

[Hectonkhyres]

No, no, Pete said "him." It probably isn't Hilgya, unless she somehow managed to kill this new guy's friend and seamlessly take his place.
Or the old blind bastard can't tell a male human apart from a female dwarf. Which isn't much of a stretch, really.

We're not exploring the fell potential of the "Appendix" trick. After all, Crystal is pretty damned dumb...


Crystal: Ha! Did you really think you could escape me, "Poor ol' Pete"? Take THAT!

Pete: Thanks. (Accepts bag of platinum from Crystal.)
Not as funny as 'Virgin Bob'.

[wzeller]

Hmmm.... It's never been specified what deity Redcloak follows.... Maybe Blind Pete has interesting connections. After all, it would be weird for there to be a sufficiently high-level priest here in this city without Haley already knowing about them.... And Redcloak certainly wouldn't be in the guild's pocket.

hmmmmm.

(Of course, it'd be even greater if Redcloak is a closet adherent to the teachings of Banjo or Banjulhu...) :smallbiggrin:

w

[Jigsaw Forte]

Given that most SIGHTED humans couldn't tell a male dwarf from a female dwarf...

I remember in "Puzzle Quest" where the Female dwarf had a beard and everything. The only real giveaway was the chest (and EVERY fatso has one of those...)

[BRC]

Hmmm.... It's never been specified what deity Redcloak follows.... Maybe Blind Pete has interesting connections. After all, it would be weird for there to be a sufficiently high-level priest here in this city without Haley already knowing about them.... And Redcloak certainly wouldn't be in the guild's pocket.

hmmmmm.

(Of course, it'd be even greater if Redcloak is a closet adherent to the teachings of Banjo or Banjulhu...) :smallbiggrin:

w
Redcloak follows The Dark One, god of goblins.
SoD Spoilers

The Dark One started out as a goblin warlord who was assasinated while negotiating with humans (The same ones who sent the assassin). His death caused his army to go on a year long rampage, which caused him to ascend as a god.

[Bubbles]

Not as funny as 'Virgin Bob'.

Except that might earn Crystal the nick name of 'Bobbit'.

[David Argall]

A good comic.

It looks bad for those hoping for a 600 Roy raise. We may be spending 10 strips with Elan, and then it will be several more before a Raise will be possible. There is just barely enough time, and just about any detour will put it quite out of reach.

Haley again tells us she has been gone from Azure City for less than a month, which continues to clash with ship time. We may get some correction on that.

The last we saw of Therkla, Kubota was ordering her to kill Elan and supply Elan's head to him. That may mean that Elan is going to have an interesting date.


But the cleric of Loki is 'a dear childhood friend' of Pete's, so he had his sight then.
Yeah, the idea has several strikes against it. Still, it does look like it might be plot useful several ways... So our cleric has a new assistant, a female dwarf who has "fond" memories of the party. She aids the party in leaving town to get back to Durkon. She then kills Durkon, possibly after a dispute about child support, and raises him [Women do get emotional at times.], thereby qualifying Durkon to go home posthumously.


I also think a priest(ess?) of Loki would be fairly likely to raise Roy, if they knew what's going on. After all, not even Loki would like to see the end of the world.
The plot is not to end the world, but to control it, and if Loki can get in good with the winners...

[brilliantlight]

Well, he's both Chaotic and self-admittedly irresponsible. I'd say it's a 50-50.

He is also of good alignment and in love with Haley. I just don't see it. I see him in a compromizing position or him pissing off Therkla.

[Cleverdan22]

Awesome new character. Great comic, Rich.

[Kaytara]

As David mentioned, Kubota ordered Therkla to kill Elan the next time she SAW him. Since she doesn't seem to be wearing anything over her eyes, either she's knowingly betraying Lord Kubota or she intends to do just that... kill Elan. O.O I predict a failure, and a night spent running around chasing each other, so in the end, "a night wasted in a warm bed" is exactly the kind of thing Elan has to suffer through.

[Squirrel_Token]

Not sure why nobody could see Elan cheating on Haley; doesn't anyone remember Samantha (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0159.html)? Seducing female bad guys is like in the bard charter or something (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0160.html).

Seriously, I could easily see Elan cheating on Haley, either because he's too clueless to know it's happening or because he decides it's more important to seduce the female bad guy than to stay completely faithful.

[Warren Dew]

Seriously, I could easily see Elan cheating on Haley, either because he's too clueless to know it's happening or because he decides it's more important to seduce the female bad guy than to stay completely faithful.

He could also think she won't mind. We're talking piling Elan cluelessness on top of general male cluelessness here, after all.

[Tundar]

"Have you seen Haley Starshine?"
"No"
PRICELESS! :D

Dear me, she's even more clueless than Elan.

Speaking of Elan. Full moon rendevous with a mysterious asassin, wooooo!


This is one of the best strips, Pete is really great.

[Red XIV]

Not sure why nobody could see Elan cheating on Haley; doesn't anyone remember Samantha (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0159.html)? Seducing female bad guys is like in the bard charter or something (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0160.html).

Seriously, I could easily see Elan cheating on Haley, either because he's too clueless to know it's happening or because he decides it's more important to seduce the female bad guy than to stay completely faithful.
Like I said before, though, Elan (in a textbook case of...Elan-ness) is convinced that Therkla is a superhero, and thus anything but a "female bad guy". Also, Elan was not already in a relationship with anybody back when he was fooling around with Samantha. A lot's changed since then, and while Elan may be Chaotic, he's Chaotic Good. Sleeping around behind your girlfriend's back doesn't sound like something a Good character should really be doing.

[H. Zee]

Am I the only one who finds this hilarious:

"Have you seen them?"
"No."
"OK, thanks!"

[factotum]

Not only is she not a superhero... but she has orders to kill him now.

She pretty much ignored her orders before where Elan was concerned, so I don't think we need worry too much about that...

[Arbitrarity]

Wait... meeting a cleric of Loki... who else do we know who is a cleric of Loki?

Ok, that's improbable. But it would be either awesome, funny, or just awkward.

[Bitzeralisis]

Reminds me of the time Elan got caught with Samantha.


Am I the only one who finds this hilarious:

"Have you seen them?"
"No."
"OK, thanks!"

No. :smallbiggrin:

[Cizak]

I get to kill Haaaaley! I get to kill Haaaley! :smallbiggrin: I haven't read Origin, but I really wanna see a fight between Crystal and Haley :smalltongue: And also, I wonder what Elan's gonna do tonight...

[DBear]

We never did see Hinjo give back that note from Haley that he confiscated during the Azure City battle. That should come into play if Therkla tries anything.

Crystal leveling along with Haley: BAH!:smallyuk:

[Sebastian]

Well, he's both Chaotic and self-admittedly irresponsible. I'd say it's a 50-50.

And he is a bard, seducing female villains (which I'm not sure she still count as, tho) is part of the job charter. :)

[TBone]

That was a goddamned funny comic. Its 5 am my girlfriend thinks ive gone insane. Old Blind Pete, Apendix Steve, 160 proof. "Have you seen Haley?" "No" public urinal, ohh man. Best comic in a long while. So awesome. So very awesome. two giant Xorn thumbs up. :smallbiggrin:

[Neopolis]

Funny jokes and a great cliffhangers? Oh man!

[banjo1985]

The blind guy looks a hell of a lot like Roy...just saying :smalltongue:

Great strip again, Belkar seems to be in one of his more lucid cycles, maybe he'll actually work out what's happening to him.

[RMS Oceanic]

I can see the Elan panel playing out like so:

Therkla decides right here and now to confess her love for Elan, in the hope it goes somewhere. She might even offer to dish up dirt on Kubota if Elan reciprocates. Elan will try and let her down gently. He'll explain he already has a girlfriend that he's trying to get back to, "and heck, we went through three or four suplots to get together in the first place!", and Haley is who he chooses to be with.

T: So there's no chance we can end up together?
E: No.
T: ...okay.

And then Therkla attacks him.

[Amarsir]

That was a really superb comic, Giant.

I have a different theory about how the cleric might play out. How did Crystal know that Pete got his eyesight back? Perhaps this "dear childhood friend" really is in the pocket of the Thieves Guild after all...

[Bjorn]

Am I the only one who finds Blind Pete's color coordination (lack of...) hilarious? :smallbiggrin:

Also, "Blind Pete" is a pretty good name if he ever DO cross the thieves guild again.

Crystal: "Well blind Pete! How about getting your eyes back huh! Not so BLIND now are you!"

[Jigsaw Forte]

That was a really superb comic, Giant.

I have a different theory about how the cleric might play out. How did Crystal know that Pete got his eyesight back? Perhaps this "dear childhood friend" really is in the pocket of the Thieves Guild after all...

He DID say he was halfway to Anywhere at the time. Is equally likely Crystal jumped him for trying to leave the city (and thus noticed his sight was back) some time after he got himself healed rather than any special malice attributed to the cleric.

[Aris Katsaris]

Am I the only one who finds this hilarious:

"Have you seen them?"
"No."
"OK, thanks!"

I found it the funniest part of all -- especially combined with the previous "I'll find a way to throw her off your trail". :-)

[factotum]

Wait... meeting a cleric of Loki... who else do we know who is a cleric of Loki?

Ok, that's improbable. But it would be either awesome, funny, or just awkward.

You're only about the fourth person to mention this, and the fourth person who failed to notice Blind Pete saying "I'll get a message to him in the morning"...

[Sengoku]

Very nice comic (a piece of work :smallbiggrin:), I even had to update my sig :smallwink:

Hmmm...I wonder if Crystal could be considered "Linear Guild material", or whatever Nale said Miko would have not...

Edit: I do not see Old Pete calling his childhood friend cleric of Loki as an 'he', could someone be wrong (or point me the precise panel)? I hope Hilgya is about to return :smalltongue:

[Blaznak]

That was extremely well written. Nothing too fancy, nothing too smarmy, everything JUST right!
I liked it! :)

[Grey Watcher]

Very nice comic (a piece of work :smallbiggrin:), I even had to update my sig :smallwink:

Hmmm...I wonder if Crystal could be considered "Linear Guild material", or whatever Nale said Miko would have not...

Edit: I do not see Old Pete calling his childhood friend cleric of Loki as an 'he', could someone be wrong (or point me the precise panel)? I hope Hilgya is about to return :smalltongue:

2nd to last row, middle panel. It's Pete's very last line (with emphasis added):
I'll get a message to him in the morning, then.

That said, as someone mentioned in another thread, it's still possible Hilgya could be hanging out with her fellow clergy of Loki in Greysky City, so who can say if she's about to turn up again or not?

[HUMVEE Driver]

Alright Elan! Bow chica bow-bow!!!

And in panel 6, shouldn't Old Blind Pete be saying "No, Old Blind Pete is ME", not "No, Old Blind Pete it's ME"?

[shakes019]

Speculation:

So I wonder if the cloister spell will wear off while the group is in the "scry-proof" safe room. And then V's ultra-kickass divination spell will break through, making it possible for the guild's trackers to find them.

On the subject of Elan and Therkla. I think he's got a double dose of jeopardy. Both the bard charter, as previously mentioned, and the dashing swordsman prestige class (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0391.html).

[Etheric]

It looks bad for those hoping for a 600 Roy raise. We may be spending 10 strips with Elan, and then it will be several more before a Raise will be possible. There is just barely enough time, and just about any detour will put it quite out of reach..

Well they are almost there. Hayley has the gold ot get 10,000 gp of diamonds. They have a friendly cleric who can cast 7th level spells. Assuming nothing else goes wrong, and the rattling around in Roys boot in 578 was a small piece of Roy, then they pretty much have all they need. Clerics should keep a big stash of diamonds handy for spells like that :D.

I guess dramatic tension requires a few more problems than that, but 1-2 strips to roy being raised is a possibility. So there is some time for elans part.

I guess Elan is in trouble though even if she just wants a romantic evening. Hell hath no fury and all that.

[DigoDragon]

You know, there still is slim hope. Pete IS blind.

"Have you seen Haley?"
"No"

Wow. Well Crystal's dump stat certainly wasn't Charisma. :smalltongue:

Guess we'll soon find out if this priest can help at all or if he's just going to backstab Haley. If he's helpful, but can't bring roy back, maybe he can heal Belkar? Gotta admit a little homicidal halfling would come in real handy about now...

[warmachine]

Aren't they supposed to be going to Cliffport to hire come mercenaries?

[myyysha]

{Scrubbed}

[SPoD]

Aren't they supposed to be going to Cliffport to hire come mercenaries?

That idea got nixed because they can't bring Belkar with them, and Celia wants to use Belkar to tell her whether Roy is still in Grubwiggler's castle. Right now, they don't have a plan for getting Roy's body.

[Zolem]

A little crazy theory about the cleric of Loki. Given the age, it could be Uncle Myrtok, Eugene´s former adventuring companion. His deity was never specified before. What do you guys think?

We could then get some complaints about Eugene, an emberacing childhood story about Roy, and then bad news of some sort.

[Kaytara]

Speculation:

So I wonder if the cloister spell will wear off while the group is in the "scry-proof" safe room. And then V's ultra-kickass divination spell will break through, making it possible for the guild's trackers to find them.


Is that how it works? Does a spell that is strong enough to bypass an enchantment automatically dispel that enchantment? I really don't know about that, but it seems unlikely.

I DO have to wonder how powerful that bunker's anti-scrying enchantment is, though.

[chibibar]

Elan is in trouble!!!!!!! dun dun dun!!!

[d'Bwobsling]

Interesting.
I wonder if the scene will switch to Elan and co

[Vulion]

Oh snap! My best guess is that the next couple of comic's is gonna be the fight between Therkla and Elan that lasts all night until the end where it cuts back to Haley, Celia and Belkar in the morning.

[Doug Lampert]

Oh Elan, please reject Therkla, but please be nice about it. I don't think I'd be able to bear it if Haley ended up being cheated on. :smallfrown:

If he figures out what she's up to, and who she really is, then he almost certainly won't reject Therkla. Others have already mentioned this comic (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0160.html).

But this is ELAN! What are the chances of him (a) realizing that she's trying to seduce him and (b) realizing that she's a female bad guy?

Remember how long it took him to figure out that Haley was interested in him.... Probably poor Therkla will be stuck giving increasingly obvious hints till someone attacks them or something similar.

[Linkavitch]

Awesome comic. Hee, hee, Appendix Steve. That was good. Another one was Belkar the MAPU, or Magically Animated Public Urinal! I also assume that the runes around the safe room are Protection Runes, like those in strip# 55. Do you think that Pete could have locked them in there to alert the thieves guild about their whereabouts? Dun Dun DUUUUNNNN!!!

[Gamerlord]

Oh my.
If elan refuses thelkra, she will kill him!
If elan doesn't refuse her, haley is gonna kill him!

[Wikkin]

If only there was a head... somewhere in the world... that looked a damn lot like Elan's head... with which Threlka could appease her master...

[Kato]

hehe, great comic again ^^ Very awesome and great jokes.

Though, I'm very interested in the cliff hanger... Come on Elan, get the hot chick! It's probably your last chance, before your forever caught in Haley's charms, hehe.

[Mauve Shirt]

Heehee. I love Crystal's method of gaining levels.
Anyone else think Blind Pete was talking about Hilgya until he clarified that it was a dude? XD

Now, is Therkla there to make out with Elan, or warn Elan, or kill Elan, or any combination of those?

@ Wikkin, that would be a nice neat way for Therkla to manage it, but if Nale finds his way into this my head will explode.

[Daibhid C]

I don't think we're suddenly switching to Elan, V, and Durkon yet. I think it's just a little joke.


It looks like a natural place to switch; Haley's team aren't going anywhere for the moment and we switch to Something Unexpected! happening with Elan. It seems an even smoother transition than the one with the birds. (And we *have* been with Haley, Celia and Belkar for quite a while.)

[Kilarny]

I love the story transitions.

[Sabre13]

ALWAYS listen to Appendix Steve! Sheesh.

I wonder if the thieves guild has done any dealings with Richard:smalleek::smalleek::smalleek::smalleek:

[Sabre13]

You're only about the fourth person to mention this, and the fourth person who failed to notice Blind Pete saying "I'll get a message to him in the morning"...

lol no one has an attention span worth beans here!

[derfenrirwolv]

Anyone taking bets that the "blind" guy got his sight back a second time, kept the dark shades and added a few more ranks in bluff?

[Ramien]

The plot is not to end the world, but to control it, and if Loki can get in good with the winners...

If he thinks they can win... Remember, Loki was the one against taunting the god-killing abomination. Opening or modifying the gates might very well be a risk that our favorite trickster god is unwilling to take,

[NENAD]

Elan wasn't in a relationship with anyone when he seduced Samantha. And honestly, Elan is a hero. I will be extremely miffed if he starts sleeping around behind his girlfriends back. Elan, more than anyone else, has such a simple goodness to him, that to have it undone just because of a briefly mentioned "bard charter" would be a very bad move on the part of the Giant, at least in my opinion. Elan is more or less my favorite character right now. If he gets screwed up like this (no pun intended), he'll become the one character that I actively dislike.

[bengator]

I had been down on the latest run of strips, but this was a great one. Loved the line about Appendix Steve. Also like that Old Blind Pete was halfway to Anywhere on his escape. Wonder if the King of Nowhere has ever been there . . .

[HellFireXS]

How will Therkla weasel out of this one if she doesn't kill Elan and bring Lord Kubota Elan's head?

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0562.html

[Enlong]

If only there was a head... somewhere in the world... that looked a damn lot like Elan's head... with which Threlka could appease her master...

:nale:

Dun dun duuuuuun!

[Jigsaw Forte]

How will Therkla weasel out of this one if she doesn't kill Elan and bring Lord Kubota Elan's head?

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0562.html

Kill the Annoying Imp that would tattle on her.

I'm sure demons have just as many hit points as everyone else.

[pendell]

Now THIS is comedy gold.

Crystal's question and answer = win.
Blind Pete = Win.

Appendix Steve = AWESOME win.

Cleric friend = oooh! Foreshadowing!

And a good transition back to Therkla and Elan. I'm actually beginning to
like that storyline! It's beginning to tie up well.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Tass]

But the cleric of Loki is 'a dear childhood friend' of Pete's, so he had his sight then. Of course, there's still plenty of wiggle room there, especially given Loki's general penchant for trickery.

I also think a priest(ess?) of Loki would be fairly likely to raise Roy, if they knew what's going on. After all, not even Loki would like to see the end of the world.

In the mythology he did :D

[Enlong]

In the mythology he did :D
Yeah, but I don't think he'd like getting devoured by the Snarl.

"Dude, don't taunt the god-killing abomination."

[Grokvar]

"Dude, don't taunt the god-killing abomination."

Heh, I loved that crayon scribbly part.

This comic doesn't disappoint me every time I read it.

[dps]

Elan wasn't in a relationship with anyone when he seduced Samantha. And honestly, Elan is a hero. I will be extremely miffed if he starts sleeping around behind his girlfriends back. Elan, more than anyone else, has such a simple goodness to him, that to have it undone just because of a briefly mentioned "bard charter" would be a very bad move on the part of the Giant, at least in my opinion. Elan is more or less my favorite character right now. If he gets screwed up like this (no pun intended), he'll become the one character that I actively dislike.


I'm not even sure if Elan has enough intelligence to realize that you're supposed to be faithful. And isn't faithfulness more of a lawful thing than a good thing? He's not lawful. And IIRC, he and Haley haven't made any promised to each other anyhow.

[David Argall]

Elan wasn't in a relationship with anyone when he seduced Samantha. And honestly, Elan is a hero. I will be extremely miffed if he starts sleeping around behind his girlfriends back. Elan, more than anyone else, has such a simple goodness to him, that to have it undone just because of a briefly mentioned "bard charter" would be a very bad move on the part of the Giant, at least in my opinion. Elan is more or less my favorite character right now. If he gets screwed up like this (no pun intended), he'll become the one character that I actively dislike.

For the short range, you are pretty safe. The woman saying "Please take me. Indulge your most perverted ideas on my willing body and I will thank you for using me" and his saying "Do you think the Yanks will win the Series?" is always funny and we can predict Elan staying clueless for some time.

But if you want Therkla to stay in the strip, it's pretty likely Haley will have to share. The alternatives look downright deadly for Therkla. She tries to kill Elan, and will fail, or she refuses, and she gets killed by Kubota. There are other possibilities, but these seem the main ones, and neither seems to fit here well.

Some possibilities
We switch scenes here fairly frequently, going from Haley telling Celia her opinions on the subject of the boy's loyalty to Elan's contrasting behavior, but ending with her somewhat giving him permission to pleasure other women.
or Elan was not nearly as successful in keeping this tryst secret as he thinks. Lien and Hinjo, among others, are nearby and Therkla will be captured.
or the date is entirely chaste, with Elan constantly saying things that can be read in two quite different ways, one involving a desire to do a lot of things with Therkla, many of them lewd.

And a certainity
A very bad looking V is going to show with yet another unsuccessful attempt to contact Haley.

[SlightlyEvil]

Another great comic. Also, I like how you're jumping between plotlines with the one-panel gags leading into the change of scene (the same thing happened in 563 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0563.html)). Given, the state of things, I'd bet against a Roysurrection coming in comic 600. Maybe 650 or so, maybe a little earlier, but each look into a subplot has been 10-20 strips, and unless there's a couple extra-long strips (i.e. 3ish pages), I don't see 2 of those happening in the next 19 strips.

[Jeivar]

HAH! This is one of the best ones in a long time! :D Belkar as a magically animated public urinal, Celia's wings making cellophane-noises, a man being blinded AGAIN after getting his eyes fixed, and I could go on and on. Old Blind Pete has worked his way into my heart in record time.
And OF COURSE Crystal levels at the same speed as Haley. A showdown between hated enemies HAS to be drawn-out and epic. There's probably a rule somewhere in the Player's Handbook somewhere . . .

And Therkla and Elan . . . hmmm . . .
I wonder if her Wisdom score is poor enough for her to not realize Elan isn't interested, just as he's too dumb to realize she's hitting on him. It could make for an amusing little scene. :)

[Jigsaw Forte]

Another great comic. Also, I like how you're jumping between plotlines with the one-panel gags leading into the change of scene (the same thing happened in 563 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0563.html)). Given, the state of things, I'd bet against a Roysurrection coming in comic 600. Maybe 650 or so, maybe a little earlier, but each look into a subplot has been 10-20 strips, and unless there's a couple extra-long strips (i.e. 3ish pages), I don't see 2 of those happening in the next 19 strips.


Speaking of 563 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0563.html) ... Lien's aside to Hinjo makes me suspect there will be much ambushery.

[Ramien]

In the mythology he did :D

In Norse Mythology, he did it in revenge for his imprisonment and the treatment of his sons after the death of Baldr. More importantly, Ragnarok paved the way for a new world that was ruled over by the survivng gods.

The Snarl has no interest in a 'new world', and would destroy everything, including all the gods, given the chance.

[Holammer]

Did Roy's grandpa have another son or bastard child we don't know about?

The world of OotS should be quite large, not everything revolves around the main cast... or does it? DUn DUN DUUUUN :smallwink:

[Zolem]

How will Therkla weasel out of this one if she doesn't kill Elan and bring Lord Kubota Elan's head?

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0562.html

:nale:

Also, if he's alone, he's not bodyguarding. Loophole!

[Warren Dew]

Now, is Therkla there to make out with Elan, or warn Elan, or kill Elan, or any combination of those?

I'm sure "make out with Elan" is on the list. Warn him, maybe.

If she tries to kill him, she'll be so conflicted it's guaranteed to fail.

[Samurai Jill]

Nice strip. It'll be interesting to see if Haley can pull this off.

[Ramien]

Kill the Annoying Imp that would tattle on her.

I'm sure demons have just as many hit points as everyone else.

Actually, demons use d8 for hitpoints, less than some, more than others. :smalltongue:

I wonder what Therkla has planned though...


She could certainly try and warn Elan away from being Hinjo's bodyguard so that she wouldn't have to kill him. If Rich is feeling really tragic, Elan'll refuse, and she'll volunteer to bodyguard Hinjo and kill herself. (Very unlikely).

If it weren't for the fact that her eyes were open in the last panel, I'd say she was planning on seducing Elan blindfolded, since if she doesn't see him, she doesn't have to kill him.

Of course, she could be trying to turn her back on Kabuto and pledging her love eternal (or until Haley finds out) to Elan instead.

[Jigsaw Forte]

Actually, demons use d8 for hitpoints, less than some, more than others. :smalltongue:

I still bet she'll kill the imp. She IS effectively an assassin, after all, and the little bastard is too snarky to live.

[silvadel]

Finally remembered who he reminds me of...

The blind guy reminds me of the guy from gargoyles who befriends the eldest gargoyle.

[Ramien]

I still bet she'll kill the imp. She IS effectively an assassin, after all, and the little bastard is too snarky to live.

'Too snarky to live' pretty much describes half the cast of OOTS, though.

[Zolem]

Finally remembered who he reminds me of...

The blind guy reminds me of the guy from gargoyles who befriends the eldest gargoyle.

Hey you're right. I loved that show.

Also, what sort of rep. does Haley have if the first question she's asked is 'Are you pregnant?':smallconfused:

[Mike_the_Mystic]

I wonder if the thieves guild has done any dealings with Richard:smalleek::smalleek::smalleek::smalleek:

Richard would have killed them, then made them into a zombie thieve's guild, then he'd kill zykon and all the goblins and the snarl and everyone else and make them all into a zombie army, including zykon. I don't think richard would just take out eyes, or appendixes, in short :P.

[Millikin_Erreene]

How will Therkla weasel out of this one if she doesn't kill Elan and bring Lord Kubota Elan's head?

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0562.html


Kill Nale and present his head instead.

[Amarsir]

Elan wasn't in a relationship with anyone when he seduced Samantha. And honestly, Elan is a hero. I will be extremely miffed if he starts sleeping around behind his girlfriends back. Elan, more than anyone else, has such a simple goodness to him, that to have it undone just because of a briefly mentioned "bard charter" would be a very bad move on the part of the Giant, at least in my opinion.How would you feel about this?

When the bird didn't come back, and all other scrying methods failed, V had to conclude that Haley and Belkar were dead. Elan hears this and turns to Therkla in his grief.

[Zolem]

How would you feel about this?

When the bird didn't come back, and all other scrying methods failed, V had to conclude that Haley and Belkar were dead. Elan hears this and turns to Therkla in his grief.

Then Haley beats the crud out of V for the stupidity of her spell.

[Deuce]

You know . . .

Therkla wouldn't have to use Nale's head to fool Kubota - Elan has been working on his illusion spells. I'm not sure if it's funnier for it to work, only work partially (Kubota fooled, Imp sees through it - but is ignored), or plan totally fails, leaving Kubota angry and holding a straw-topped coconut.

[nathanbrazil]

Time for Belkar's Revenge!

I just finished the comic strip, and since Roy's animated skeleton is hanging out in a golem-infested stronghold, the cleric of Loki's next most likely heal would be Belkar. If Belkar is healed and therefore free, what's the first thing on his mind? Revenge. He's going to think back, remember all the crap he was forced to endure at the hands of the tyranny of Good, and just go on a righteous-indignation killing rampage. Belkar gets a little justice!! Let the halfling have a moment of glory before fulfilling the oracle's obnoxious prophecy regarding his last breath-ever. (Which was disappointing, because honestly Belkar's The Man.)

[HellFireXS]

Richard would have killed them, then made them into a zombie thieve's guild, then he'd kill zykon and all the goblins and the snarl and everyone else and make them all into a zombie army, including zykon. I don't think richard would just take out eyes, or appendixes, in short :P.

You mean Xykon with an X.


Kill Nale and present his head instead.

But Nale is no where near Therkla and she has never even met Nale and doesn't even know Nale exists. Plus it s not like Therkla is after Elan for his Smarts or Alignment, she would probably Rather be with Nale who is just as good looking but also evil and willing (no doubt).

[David Argall]

what sort of rep. does Haley have if the first question she's asked is 'Are you pregnant?':smallconfused:

It's asked after she says she is in trouble, making it a somewhat expectable question of any lass. However NCPB features a unicorn who goes into gales of laughter at the idea that Haley is a pure and innocent lass.
In general the strip has suggested the idea that Haley's prior love life was not physically lacking.

[Lissou]

It's asked after she says she is in trouble, making it a somewhat expectable question of any lass.

Seconded. I've been asked that seriously when I was still a virgin. I definitely didn't have such a reputation. This being said, I wouldn't be surprised if Haley DID have one. Or if she's used Pete's hiding place for them or something, when she was still living at her parents'. I mean, she does know it exists.

I also think he's like an uncle figure or something. They're the ones you're supposed to go to when you're pregnant, Elan would tell you that much :P

[Kaytara]

Time for Belkar's Revenge!

I just finished the comic strip, and since Roy's animated skeleton is hanging out in a golem-infested stronghold, the cleric of Loki's next most likely heal would be Belkar. If Belkar is healed and therefore free, what's the first thing on his mind? Revenge. He's going to think back, remember all the crap he was forced to endure at the hands of the tyranny of Good, and just go on a righteous-indignation killing rampage. Belkar gets a little justice!! Let the halfling have a moment of glory before fulfilling the oracle's obnoxious prophecy regarding his last breath-ever. (Which was disappointing, because honestly Belkar's The Man.)

Alright, but why and how? As far as everyone - including Belkar - is concerned, the halfling has just come down with a particularly nasty and persistent sickness. They'll need some stronger hints before they figure out that the MoJ was activated, and even if that happens and Belkar, in a moment of lucidity, decides to blame his association with the good guys for his troubles, there's no way he's fit enough to go on a killing rampage.

[teratorn]

I will miss Haley's ass, and I fear for such a gentle donkey in such a city.

[Warren Dew]

If Belkar is healed and therefore free, what's the first thing on his mind? Revenge. He's going to think back, remember all the crap he was forced to endure at the hands of the tyranny of Good, and just go on a righteous-indignation killing rampage. Belkar gets a little justice!!

Wouldn't that be a wrongteous-indignation killing rampage?

[AlexanderRM]

Sleeping around behind your girlfriend's back doesn't sound like something a Good character should really be doing.
...and yet another person confuses goodness with lawfulness. :smallannoyed:

[Ramien]

...and yet another person confuses goodness with lawfulness. :smallannoyed:

Not at all. Cheating on your love isn't a good act, whatever the other part of your alignment is, unless the fluid nature of the relationship is already acknowledged. After all, cheating shows a lack of respect for the person you claim to love, and that is most definitely not good.

[Vinsfeld]

Not at all. Cheating on your love isn't a good act, whatever the other part of your alignment is, unless the fluid nature of the relationship is already acknowledged. After all, cheating shows a lack of respect for the person you claim to love, and that is most definitely not good.

I think it would be a chaotic thing, not an evil one.:smalleek:

[David Argall]

However our chaotic is less likely to deem it cheating. The Lawful pretty much says there is only one proper relationship and any variation from that is cheating. Our chaotic is much more flexible by definition, which includes casual affairs outside the relationship.
From a chaotic view, if Haley has not gotten Elan to agree to only play with her, he [& she] is at least somewhat free to play with other lasses.

[brilliantlight]

How would you feel about this?

When the bird didn't come back, and all other scrying methods failed, V had to conclude that Haley and Belkar were dead. Elan hears this and turns to Therkla in his grief.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

[Kish]

I think it would be a chaotic thing, not an evil one.:smalleek:

No, Ramien's right. Having an open relationship might be a chaotic thing. Deliberately acting without concern for your lover's feelings is an evil thing. Chaotic is not Evil Lite.

[Graymayre]

No, Ramien's right. Having an open relationship might be a chaotic thing. Deliberately acting without concern for your lover's feelings is an evil thing. Chaotic is not Evil Lite.

Even if the offendee is unbeknowing, or incapable of comprehending, his doings?

[holywhippet]

Keep in mind, Elan thinks that seducing evil women is part of being a bard. He doesn't think that Therkla is evil though, he thinks she is a super hero.

[Selene]

How would you feel about this?

When the bird didn't come back, and all other scrying methods failed, V had to conclude that Haley and Belkar were dead. Elan hears this and turns to Therkla in his grief.

Not likely. Elan refuses to even entertain the idea. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0505.html


No, Ramien's right. Having an open relationship might be a chaotic thing. Deliberately acting without concern for your lover's feelings is an evil thing. Chaotic is not Evil Lite.

Agreed. Elan is stupid, but he's genre savvy enough to know that cheating in a relationship = hurting the other person. It's not like they were just casually dating, or just a hookup. Haley told him she loves him. It's not an open relationship if the other person doesn't know it. It's cheating.

[Zolem]

No, Ramien's right. Having an open relationship might be a chaotic thing. Deliberately acting without concern for your lover's feelings is an evil thing. Chaotic is not Evil Lite.

That's quite right. I hate it when people use Chaotic to act 'evil light'. And so does our DM. He's downgraded peoples alignments before. In fact, he changed one person from Chaotic Neutral to Lawful Evil.

[nathanbrazil]

Alright, but why and how? As far as everyone - including Belkar - is concerned, the halfling has just come down with a particularly nasty and persistent sickness. They'll need some stronger hints before they figure out that the MoJ was activated, and even if that happens and Belkar, in a moment of lucidity, decides to blame his association with the good guys for his troubles, there's no way he's fit enough to go on a killing rampage.

Untrue: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0569.html Note the fact that Haley appears to be able to see the spell's trigger. Else, what's she looking at?

So the cleric of course would have to fix that: a cleric isn't much use if he can't figure out what's wrong with someone and actually cure them of it to 100%, and with all the build-up to this cleric being some kind of oldskool friend of Pete's, he's been around for long enough that he could easily be just such an individual.

Belkar's already mostly lucid: and since Haley and the oversized pixie have been basically saving him again and again, there's a perfectly reasonable avenue to heal Belkar. However, even if they weren't inclined to waste their money on Belkar in an altruistic sense, there's still the fact that Belkar is the ultimate badass for thievery ..er.. sorry I mean rogueishness. Should they even consider breaking into the golem castle without the Ultimate Badass' help? (Especially considering the oversized pixie keeps lightning bolting everything and appears to have a wisdom score in the low single digits?)

Belkar is deus ex machina in the form of a backstabbing ultimate badass: and I for one hope that the Giant will let him have at least a moment or two of modern-day pure glory and by doing so, incidentally paving the way to a full restoration for Roy, on his way to the afterlife. Oh sure, he murdered a thousand enemies in that colossal battle, and seemed to single-handedly hold an army off, (my god that was pure gold,) but since then there's been essentially nothing but bad luck for The Man. Sux0r.

For some of us (heck, many of us) Belkar is one of the main reasons why we read the comic. The Man Himself keeps getting stepped on, but The Man Himself deserves a little more than that. It's ass-kicking time! (And I'm tired of seeing Belkar get stepped on and insulted so much! Give the Halfling a Break, I say!!)

Bring back the oldskool righteous badassery! It's time the party rocked worlds, reached out through the veil, and curb-stomped the bad guys! Deep down, everyone likes a taste of victory every major episode. That's why Star Trek : TNG succeeded and Enterprise didn't. At the end of each TNG episode, there was essentially a happy ending. The heroes won. And people (at least, people like me) are tired of seeing dreary unhappiness, Roy's rotting corpse inexorably deteriorating, Belkar getting The Screw, Haley barely hanging on, and V going rapidly insane because she hasn't figured out what the heck is going on yet.

The end of the episode has to have a happy ending to pave the way for the next major encounter, or else it's just one unhappiness after another. There hasn't been a major victory in a couple dozen strips. Please, please please please please give us a ray of sunshine in this unending gloom..! :)

[David Argall]

We still need to establish it is cheating.

Now 160-1 establishes reasonably well Haley's desire for an exclusive relationship [at least as far as Elan activities are concerned]. However, it also establishes Elan total unawareness of such a desire, and something of a duty to indulge with random females. 302 also suggests Elan deems giving a lass what she wants a reasonable idea.

So has Haley managed to tell Elan in some way that he is not to play with other girls? This is at least questionable. Their time together as lovers is a little under 48 hours, which includes the battle, and other action, and no indication they were considering a future where the issue would come up. So it seems quite possible Elan feels himself under no burden to avoid other women.

Now on plot points, we can probably expect Elan to stay "faithful". As noted, the clueless male who doesn't notice the lass who is practically trying to rape him is a standard joke. So Elan will likely continue to fail to realize Therkla is after his body.

[SteveMB]

So has Haley managed to tell Elan in some way that he is not to play with other girls? This is at least questionable. Their time together as lovers is a little under 48 hours, which includes the battle, and other action, and no indication they were considering a future where the issue would come up. So it seems quite possible Elan feels himself under no burden to avoid other women.

He realized that Haley objected to his "having a little fun" (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0168.html) with Samantha -- he didn't realize why, but went along with it.

Whether or not he's figured it out enough to realize that the same objection applies now is another question.

[nathanbrazil]

Ah, found it. One of the single greatest moments in Belkar's history:

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0439.html

Ah, but perhaps that's my Hackmaster showing through..

*snif*

More like that! tee hee

[Kaytara]

Untrue: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0569.html Note the fact that Haley appears to be able to see the spell's trigger. Else, what's she looking at?


I'm not sure what significance that has, since Haley's memory has been wiped.

Still, I agree that the basic premise of (possibly?) needing to conquer Roy's body back may be enough to motivate the girls to get the halfling back to full health. However, whether or not removing a Curse is something a Cleric should be able to do, if I recall correctly, Belkar spent some time in Azure City trying to get his Mark dispelled, and nobody was able to do that.

On the other hand, a cleric should at least be able to tell them that the sickness is an activated curse of some kind, and that should clue them in. That outcome sounds likely enough.

Agree 100% with the rest of your post. ^^ I, for one, can't wrap my mind around the idea of Belkar permanently dying before an in-comic year is out... I can only hope that he'll still stay in the comic in some form; just completely removing a character like that would be a very bad move for a superb storyteller like Rich.

[Zordrath]

Belkar spent some time in Azure City trying to get his Mark dispelled, and nobody was able to do that.

Correction: Nobody was able or willing to do that :smalltongue: The Mark was probably cast by one of Shojo's bests wizards, and he probably had all the cities' best clerics and wizards in his service. In a city like Greysky City, the people might be less... scrupulous :smallamused: (and might even have experience with similiar curses being placed on the cities' inhabitants)

[eggamagga]

Nice Giant! Things are going to shape up now! Can't wait for 600.

[teratorn]

However, whether or not removing a Curse is something a Cleric should be able to do, if I recall correctly, Belkar spent some time in Azure City trying to get his Mark dispelled, and nobody was able to do that.

Assuming the greater mark of justice is somewhat similar to the regular one, from the SRD:


a mark of justice cannot be dispelled, but it can be removed with a break enchantment, limited wish, miracle, remove curse, or wish spell. Remove curse works only if its caster level is equal to or higher than your mark of justice caster level. These restrictions apply regardless of whether the mark has activated.

The clerics around Belkar were a bit on the low level side.

[Agroking]

Assuming the greater mark of justice is somewhat similar to the regular one, from the SRD:



The clerics around Belkar were a bit on the low level side.

But Belkar is probably not going to get it off in a while, and i wouldn't be surprised if Haley ditches him, even though she doesn't know what happened.

[Badgercloak]

Great comic. And the NPC's rock.

[AlexanderRM]

Ah, found it. One of the single greatest moments in Belkar's history:

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0439.html

Ah, but perhaps that's my Hackmaster showing through..

*snif*

More like that! tee hee

I must have a character do that some day. *sigh* I have so many character ideas... say, i wonder if you could make "slay living, mass"?

[Agroking]

Great comic. And the NPC's rock.

Rich Burlew really does have a distinctive style...

[dps]

The Lawful pretty much says there is only one proper relationship and any variation from that is cheating.

That's not exactly true. Islamic law allows Moslems to have up to 3 wives, and Mormon doctrine allowed men to have multiple wives until the US government outlawed the practice. Many other cultures have allowed polygomy (and less commonly, polyandry [not sure if that's the correct term for a woman being allowed more than one husband]).

[Graymayre]

*snaps the railroad track back together before we argue about multi-spouse relationships*

[David Argall]

That's not exactly true.

Which is to say it is true, with the exception of some quibbles.


Islamic law allows ...

...One particular set of rights and duties. That Law Code A conflicts with Law Code B is not a valid point here. Neither code recognizes the other as valid. Each says there is only one proper way to behave, according to the rules set out by it.

[nathanbrazil]

I'm not sure what significance that has, since Haley's memory has been wiped.

Still, I agree that the basic premise of (possibly?) needing to conquer Roy's body back may be enough to motivate the girls to get the halfling back to full health. However, whether or not removing a Curse is something a Cleric should be able to do, if I recall correctly, Belkar spent some time in Azure City trying to get his Mark dispelled, and nobody was able to do that.

On the other hand, a cleric should at least be able to tell them that the sickness is an activated curse of some kind, and that should clue them in. That outcome sounds likely enough.

Agree 100% with the rest of your post. ^^ I, for one, can't wrap my mind around the idea of Belkar permanently dying before an in-comic year is out... I can only hope that he'll still stay in the comic in some form; just completely removing a character like that would be a very bad move for a superb storyteller like Rich.

Ah yes, you're completely correct about their memories being wiped: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0570.html Doh. Forgot about that.

Clerics can remove curse still can't they? Hrm.. Greater Mark of Justice is a made-up spell. But it would stand to reason that an equally powerful cleric could remove the mark (and by equally powerful, I mean one who is equally powerful in casting ability.) That's why I'm hoping Pete's old-skool adventurer with badass buddies who's been spending all their time levelling up on the lower planes. Yea.. yea that's it.

I'll miss Belkar if he goes away. *snif*

[Agroking]

Ah yes, you're completely correct about their memories being wiped: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0570.html Doh. Forgot about that.

Clerics can remove curse still can't they? Hrm.. Greater Mark of Justice is a made-up spell. But it would stand to reason that an equally powerful cleric could remove the mark (and by equally powerful, I mean one who is equally powerful in casting ability.) That's why I'm hoping Pete's old-skool adventurer with badass buddies who's been spending all their time levelling up on the lower planes. Yea.. yea that's it.

I'll miss Belkar if he goes away. *snif*

I miss haley and elan's 48 hour romance...


Ahh... the good old days!!!

:p

[red-death21]

I think giant should bring back hayleys obsession with treasure.
As belkar says in comic #568 All this meaty character development IS drawing away from hayleys love of treasure.

[Zordrath]

I think she's currently too occupied with staying alive to worry about treasure... :smalltongue:

But yeah, the recent Haley/Belkar/Celia comics were all a bit too serious for my taste (there was humor, yes, but it mostly came from other characters). Good to see we're shifting back to Elan and Therkla, who are way more awesome :smallbiggrin:

[David Argall]

Well, you can hope, but Therkla-Elan has the potential of being quite dark. Therkla is in the sort of story bind that often leaves the girl dead or wishing she was.