OOTS #883 - The Discussion Thread

[delroland]

There's a story behind that, isn't it?

Yeah, it involves my 2E 10th level necromancer and telefragging.

Because **** limb removal.

[FlawedParadigm]

It's possible that the D&D world isn't that old and everyone is not actually related to everyone else.

Well, there goes my idea that the entire Stickverse secretly took place in Arkansas.

[stsasser]

Well, there goes my idea that the entire Stickverse secretly took place in Arkansas.

That would explain the banjo.

[Chessgeek]

Oh please how powerful can fiends be if they're summoned with a poof? And they'll be lead by Nale of all people. The Order's fine. But what is the mighty Tarquin searching for? To be continued...

[Leirus]

Blackwing wins the award for most unhelpful help by a pet or familiar. Congratulations.

I see a certain odd genre blindness in Tarquin here. I wonder if he's setting Nale up to fail intentionally, or if his concern for his family and legacy is actually causing him to miss the setup where he has everything in hand and then it all goes around as soon as he relinquishes personal control.

Tarquin is certainly planning something. What did he do before leaving the Empire?. I have thinking on this, but the only think I can imagine is calling his pals. And it does not quite fit.

[Carl]

Yup, that is my take. Althought no doubt Haerta was happy to see it used on a dragon.

To put it in simle terms for people. lets assume draketooth himself was alive at the time and it was cast on him instead. It would still have taken out the Black Dragon's in the fashion it did, but if Draketooths parents where dead then, (unless the cousins have been getting in each others pants, not something I'd discount totally), his siblings and their children are safe.

Kind of ironic that said cousins possibility aside casting it on a random draketooth would have done V's task just as well, but caused much less collateral.

[gorocz]

Soo... Is it time for IFCC to cash in V's soul time debt? I actually thought that this will happen already in this strip, when I first read the comic title - Fiend Swap (Fiends as in IFCC). The fact that the comic ended with V and Qarr only supports this :-)

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(Also, I'm quite surprised that there's already 6 pages of comments and this hasn't been predicted yet)
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Edit: nevermind, I missed that it was mentioned already page one

[TheYell]

Whoops, left Kilkil out of Panel #4. Fixed now.

QUICK get the url to the uncorrected webpage

it's gonna be a million-dollar collectible!

Just DON'T OPEN IT so it stays mint

[Draz74]

So... whatever Tarquin's up to, it is something that requires Kilkil? I wonder what that could be?

Hmmm, my epiplectic tree sense is now formulating wild theories that Tarquin knows that Team Evil is coming, and is off to try to forge a treaty with them ...

1) Durkon lost his accent?

Interesting. That, I did not expect.

2) Quarr was maybe sent by the fiends to talk V to go back to the order, so that the Linear Guild wouldn't win right away...?

This was my main thought after this strip too, except ... I don't think they're most concerned about the Linear Guild winning. No, it's more ominous than that. They want to ultimately take control of the Gate themselves. They need to have someone they can take magical of control of in the fight for the Gates, regardless of who they're hoping will win that fight.

So Qarr will be the one heading V to the party? That smells pretty bad

Exactly.

Two things:2. If V *is* history's worst mass murderer,

I highly doubt it. Haerta aside, there have been a LOT of bad dudes in the world's history. I mean, Gananron (Haerta's LE/Conjurer counterpart) led wars to conquer dozens of worlds. And the Snarl ostensibly devoured a whole planet.

The "worse mass murderer" is pure trash talk. I doubt Qarr even knows enough History to make it a meaningful factual statement.

decendants.

No, ABD actually said explicitly that she only had one descendant, and only until he fought V and got disintegrated. "Ancestors" was, in fact, the correct word. (As other people have been re-iterating in this thread, Familicide doesn't care about whether creatures are still living when it determines primary targets; only when it determines secondary targets.)

I don't really see Nale's insult being towards z, more than Q'arr. Z may still take it personally, though.

I think Nale and Z have a deeper relationship than one insult can undo, even if Z does in fact have a sentimental attachment to Qarr. After all, they've been together back since Nale's Western Continent days.

Oh, Blackwing. I think that might possibly be the WORST possible retort, given the circumstances.

Yeah. It may be funny, but this punch line certainly did nothing to raise my opinion of Blackwing's mental acuity.

You know, you're right. I have gone too far this time. I'll stop making new strips now. Everyone, go home. The comic is over. My bad, I went too far.



Tell you what, you read the vampire template entry, particularly the part where it explicitly says that vampire clerics can still cast spells just with different domain access, and you tell me where it says anything about gods or temporary loss of access there. It doesn't. Vampire clerics do not need to worship a god to cast spells, because NO cleric needs a god to cast spells. The rules specifically allow for "non-theistic" clerics, and explains exactly what the effects of turning into a vampire has on a cleric: Rebuke instead of Turn, different domains. Period.

The only thing worse than the usual irrelevant rules pedantry is incorrect irrelevant rules pedantry.

Oh snap, I think someone awakened a sleeping Giant.

- he includes himself in that number (he has some sorcerer levels, but it's a stretch imo)

...

He's clearly counting himself as a caster. The stupidity and misplaced confidence of doing so fits perfectly with his outlook.

Exactly.

[Psyren]

Technically if Durkon could have lost all of his spells by being an ex-Cleric of Thor:



However it could easily be handwaived away by saying Durkon rejected Thor when he arose and is currently a Generic Vampire Cleric and thus didn't lose any perpared spells (with them being 'transferred' to a seperate divine bank account as it were).

Is it a bit of a handwave? Perhaps. But that's easily within the realm of DM Fiat (i.e. making their game/story run smoothly).

Technically he never became an ex-Cleric. He didn't violate anything by simply dying, and by the time he switched allegiances, it was too late for Thor to do anything about it. (Assuming he even did switch allegiances. Dorkula is pretty clearly not the same entity as Durkon as we can see by the accent.)

In short, he died a cleric and came back a cleric. At no point was he ever not a cleric.

[Clistenes]

For the people comparing Haerta and V's bodycount, where was it written that Haerta was from OotSWorld?

For all we know, and in fact I presume this is the case, Haerta was on another prime matierial plane doing all of her wickedness.

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Wasn't Haerta Xykon's old girlfriend from SoD? The one that worked for the same Evil Overlord than Xykon?

[Grey Watcher]

[SPOIL]Wasn't Haerta Xykon's old girlfriend from SoD? The one that worked for the same Evil Overlord than Xykon?[/spoil]

I believe her name was Ydranna.

[Arcanist]

Aww... I saw the Imp pop in just to throw salt in V's wound and thought... Damn... I don't care how much a person has goof'd, that is just sadistic...

[Clistenes]

I believe her name was Ydranna.

I will have to check. The both of them look similar.

EDIT: You are right. They aren't the same character, and they don't even look similar, I just misremembered

[FlawedParadigm]

I believe her name was Ydranna.

I know better than this, but I wonder if the anagram of Ayn Rand was intentional. (No, I know it wasn't.)

But yes, that's her name.

[Another_Poet]

Tarquin is certainly planning something. What did he do before leaving the Empire?. I have thinking on this, but the only think I can imagine is calling his pals. And it does not quite fit.

Or bringing his entire army to bear.

He is, after all, supreme dictator or whatevs.

edit: Also, possibly sent an alliance offer to Xykon.

[jere7my]

I thought it was a piscoloth:

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Yep, it's clearly a piscodaemon / piscoloth. It looks more like the 1st edition Monster Manual 2 illustration:

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[Living Oxymoron]

Some thoughts:

1) Durkon lost his accent?

2) Quarr was maybe sent by the fiends to talk V to go back to the order, so that the Linear Guild wouldn't win right away...?

1) I think Durkon will not have his accent back until Malack free him.

"You will feel more like yourself once I release you from my thrall"

2) Yeah, probably that.

[Alex Knight]

RE: "Worst mass murderer in history"

I can't help but feel you folks are overlooking a way that phrase might be intended.

Replace "mass murderer" with "Short order cook" and see how the implication changes.

Quarr isn't saying V is a horrible murderer, he's saying V is horrible at committing murder.

[MeanMrsMustard]

Durkula continues to be adorable.
Same with V.
And, surprisingly, Malack in the first panel.

[Knight.Anon]

Hmmm.

I wonder if Durkon's fiend will actually help out... or maybe try to kill Nale. Its going to throw a wrench into something for sure. Durkon is a vampire but it doesn't mean that doesn't hate the team he is on. He's the White Worm's involuntary slave but that only goes so far. Interesting that he has a red aura now. Evil Dwarfs are always underestimated.

The imp is going to tip the Linear Guilds hand I bet. He (It) wants there to be fighting and war its not on the Linear Guilds side either. I hope that the fiends don't cash the check on V's soul anytime soon.

[chorpler]

Qarr saying "his" in reference to Vaarsuvius is even funnier when you remember that he's called Vaarsuvius "her" before.

And hey, another strip where Qarr calls Vaarsuvius "her" (while Vaarsuvius is trying to invisibly escape from Xykon), and then this one where he says "I'm not here to hurt your master. I'm here to keep an eye on him. Or her. Whatever." I'm thinking Qarr just spouts pronouns at random when it comes to Vaarsuvius...

[Tolvan]

So, ah, anyone else realize that Durkon is prophesied to return home posthumously? And he's now unDEAD? Or am I the first?

Look-I may not post much, but I needed to point this out.

[Mutant Sheep]

So, ah, anyone else realize that Durkon is prophesied to return home posthumously? And he's now unDEAD? Or am I the first?

Look-I may not post much, but I needed to point this out.

Has been previously mentioned.
!Prequel Spoiler!

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He is also propheised to bring "Death and Destruction" when he does return home. (Why he was banished in the first place). Now, nergal is god of... death and destruction. Vampire Durkon might want a sponsor, and who better to ask for suggestions than dear old Malack?

[Water_Bear]

RE: "Worst mass murderer in history"

I can't help but feel you folks are overlooking a way that phrase might be intended.

Replace "mass murderer" with "Short order cook" and see how the implication changes.

Quarr isn't saying V is a horrible murderer, he's saying V is horrible at committing murder.

But V's actually a pretty solid mass murderer; 1/4 of all Black Dragons plus at least a few hundred people is quite a lot. Especially doing all the killing in under six seconds.

Personally I doubt V's body-count is even as big as Redcloak's yet, not to mention the Big X, but Qarr is allowed a little artistic license in his taunts. After all, what does a guilt-ridden person want to hear less than that they are worse than the very people their Evil acts were meant to punish.

[Mutant Sheep]

But V's actually a pretty solid mass murderer; 1/4 of all Black Dragons plus at least a few hundred people is quite a lot. Especially doing all the killing in under six seconds.

Personally I doubt V's body-count is even as big as Redcloak's yet, not to mention the Big X, but Qarr is allowed a little artistic license in his taunts. After all, what does a guilt-ridden person want to hear less than that they are worse than the very people their Evil acts were meant to punish.

Thats why he's a bad mass murderer. He isn't even gloating!

[Water_Bear]

Thats why he's a bad mass murderer. He isn't even gloating!

To be fair, Darth V did spend some time gloating to the reanimated Ancient Black Dragon's disembodied head before Disintegrating it.

Wow, did the comic get dark or what?

[JackRackham]

Whatever Qarr is doing right now, I think it will end up helping the Order (or, it's intended to). It's not really in the IFCC's stated interest to kick him (and the order) while he/she's (they're) down.

[Tolvan]

Has been previously mentioned.
!Prequel Spoiler!

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He is also propheised to bring "Death and Destruction" when he does return home. (Why he was banished in the first place). Now, nergal is god of... death and destruction. Vampire Durkon might want a sponsor, and who better to ask for suggestions than dear old Malack?

Ah. I rarely frequent the forum, so... Anyway, yeah, I was kinda going on that too, but I was too lazy to give the extra evidence. Anyway, makes sense. I like it!

[Advance Strat..]

I wonder just how many Channels Sabine has to flick through?

666 Channels of course!


Edit: Rats, got beaten to that joke back on page 4.