OOTS #853 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[Forikroder]

saw the thread before i saw the new comic was all like O.O OMG A NEW COMIC

so wonder if the LG is gonna fall into the trap door at all

im kinda getting a bit worried here though, seems like Tarquin did do a ton of damage to the order with barely a scratch, without V i dont see how there actually supposed to win this fight and it makes me wonder how there supposed to take down Xykon

its kinda reminding me of bleach

also doesnt flame strike also do half of its damage as divine damage so Tarquin still would have taken soem damage?

[Lorin]

Great strip. And great jokes. Oh irony, looks like someone still lives in the old days...

[ss49]

Ouch! Poor Vaarsuvius.

Will the Linear Guild suffer a Malack vs. Nale/ Sabine fught before Vaarsuvius or Blackwing recover?

ETA: Wow, posting early means fighting an overloaded server. Not worth it !

[silversaraph]

I think five people falling on top of an already weak and frail elf would be a bad idea, anyway. So good job, haley!

[ferrodoxin]

:) Updated when I'm online, this is a first for me

So much for the "Durkon will fall in the same pit like V" theory..

[ThePhantasm]

Thanks for the comic, Rich!

Looks like V is still out cold...

[hamishspence]

Looks like V probably stabilised (or was only reduced to Unconscious rather than Dying) if there's no X's in V's eyes this long after falling in.

[vgc]

Wow! Makes me glad that I finally created a Twitter account! Great comic. They discovered the trap and realized V is missing. I wonder if they'll put two and two together.

[gamingfreak10]

did the oots just manage to outsmart themselves again?

as always, great comic giant

edit: oh wow, first page. I never read the new comic this soon after it's posted

[Dr. Gamera]

If -1 to -9 HP doesn't put your heart in your mouth, I don't know what to tell you.

[Kalrany]

RETREAT!!!!!

That is what they should have done from the beginning, but that's not important. I like M's comment about showboating... Interesting.

Doesn't take long for LG discord. M isn't going to follow Nale w/o T, is he?

Haley got a good backstab in with Cyrstal's knife -- continuity is cool.

Looks like they will not be finding V the quick way, though. I like the "we're improving" comment -- made me chuckle. Elan is really getting some good one-liners here.

Quick Question: When not in a fight, and in the negative hit-points, how long does it take for a PC to hit -10 and die? I know it is fast in combat, but I have a very old and vague recollection of there still being a time limit for out of combat. Am I wrong on this? Because if not, then V may not be out of the woods yet...

Overall, fun installment! Thanks!!!

......And I just got the title. "The Dangers of Progress" looks like dangerous for V if in the negs and falling. Any other interpretations?

[RMS Oceanic]

did the oots just manage to outsmart themselves again?

They have a habit of that, don't they?

If they don't rescue V, I wonder who does?

[Shatteredtower]

Ow. That was a string of brutal finishes.

[Flemkopf]

did the oots just manage to outsmart themselves again?

I think there's a certain kobold oracle who would have something to say on the subject...

[Ron Miel]

Couldn't Belkar Evade the flame strike?

[Forikroder]

RETREAT!!!!!

That is what they should have done from the begining, but that's not important. I like M's comment about showboating... Interesting.

Doesn't take long for LG discord. M isn't going to follow Nale w/o T, is he?

Haley got a good backstab in with Cyrstal's knife -- continuity is cool.

Looks like they will not be finding V the quickway, though. I like the "we're improving" comment -- made me chuckle. Elan is really getting some good oneliners here.

Overall, fun installment! Thanks!!!

i dont think its a big deal he didnt actually do anything that would really ruin Nales plan or anything and its not like he flame striked nale so the odds of Malack actually betraying them is slim (at least until Tarquin has gotten all the info from nale he needs)

Couldn't Belkar Evade the flame strike?

he must not ahve rolled high enough though he took half damage

on another note im guessing Tarquins item that protects him from fire damage explains him being able to endure the mask

[LordofNaught]

V's still out, but alive as others have pointed out. Malack casts another spell, 5th level of d20srd can be trusted, which still doesn't show the limits of his power. Will we ever see the fullness of his might? As for the Order moving into the pyramid, it does mean that the LG will either follow them or do something to the pyramid from the outside, depending on Tarquain's mood. If they go in after the Order, Tarquain and Malack will be highly useful thanks to their experience, and it may give V a chance to attack them from behind if he/she wakes up and get out.

[with an e]

Do these strips give a better idea of Tarquin's level? He seems noticeably stronger than the Order, but not to the point of overwhelmingly so. Given that he's been largely in a physical brawl (Durkon cast 1 spell, and Vaarsuvius isn't in the fight), it doesn't seem like he's epic.

[Inkling]

So close...

[Whiffet]

Bahaha. Once again, a cut to V makes me chuckle. Another nice detail was Belkar jumping over the trap. And, of course, Elan's happy "We're improving!"

Haley performed really well this strip. It was interesting how she took over barking commands the moment Roy lost consciousness. It's a reminder that she's second-in-command.

[King of Nowhere]

they really were better off when they stumbled aimlessly onto everything the plot threw at them.

[Bulldog Psion]

It certainly looks like Malack has lost patience with Tarquin's coy approach to the situation.

"Now the fool is just showboating. ... This is a waste of time."

He's obviously no longer a close ally of Tarquin after the Nale incident, since he considers him a fool (probably pretty accurately), and is losing patience with following whatever Tarquin's current plan is at all. Interesting things might develop out of this.

[fergo]

Well that does not bode well . Looks like Malack is just as powerful as we feared...

[MoonCat]

<snrk> BWAHAHA! So close!

[Forikroder]

It certainly looks like Malack has lost patience with Tarquin's coy approach to the situation.

"Now the fool is just showboating. ... This is a waste of time."

He's obviously no longer a close ally of Tarquin after the Nale incident, since he considers him a fool (probably pretty accurately), and is losing patience with following whatever Tarquin's current plan is at all. Interesting things might develop out of this.

except Malack was always shown to be annoyed at Tarquins personality

[electricbee]

Wonder if V will be left there until he wakes or if something is going to come take custody of him while he's still unconscious?

[Burner28]

This is another good strip.

[LordofNaught]

Of course, Malack has been putting up with it for heaven knows how long. Plus, there's the fact that those two have their own plans in motion. I still remember the emphasis on "business" way back when, and more recently, "after" or something like that. Malack's annoyance could just be part of the act. Or it's indeed genuine and we'll see Tarquain complaining in the next strip or at some point further in.

[Forikroder]

Of course, Malack has been putting up with it for heaven knows how long. Plus, there's the fact that those two have their own plans in motion. I still remember the emphasis on "business" way back when, and more recently, "after" or something like that. Malack's annoyance could just be part of the act. Or it's indeed genuine and we'll see Tarquain complaining in the next strip or at some point further in.

if he does anything it will be scolding nale for not being able to control Malack