OOTS #420 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

Sorry for the delays, I wasn't happy with the first version (which would have spread this part over three strips), so I reworked it into one double strip.

Now, I must go to bed.

[Glorfindel]

It was definitely worth the waiting ;)

[Haruspex]

Grand Larceny? I was expecting something a little cooler than that for the scruffy guy.
Anyway, good job getting Belkar's trial out of the way.

[gooddragon1]

well at least he only has to spend 1 year then. Very good idea putting the high lvl npc's to work as well.

[WarriorTribble]

Was that like the first successful listen check made by a paladin?

[WhiteNoise]

i love the

'i still get to make listen checks when im standing three feet away

[Uthrac]

My PCs always discuss tactics when the NPCs are still standing right there.

Priceless!

[S.ilver]

Heh, well worth the wait Giant. That was gold.

[CGM3]

So Hinjo seems to be unaware of the three "unregistered" prisoners in the dungeon -- Nale, Sabine and Thog, for those of you who came in late. Presumably, they're still in the anti-magic cells... but has anyone else noticed that the three "other" prisoners besides Belkar in this strip are two males and a female? And Sabine can shapeshift, and Nale may have access to sorcerer illusion spells that can disguise him and Thog (and be acting the cantankerous old coot as "verisimilitude")?

Well, probably not -- but then, this is Order of the Stick, where the unexpected can jump out at you at any moment -- so, maybe -- just maybe -- dun dun DUN!

[Yogi]

If the MoJ was extralegal, what's to stop the OotS from removing it themselves.

[Henk]

Yay, a new comic right after lunch :) weeee

[IlanaAeryn]

WOOT! Well worth the wait! Thanks for a great double, Giant!

So, he's doing it because he doesn't really know me at all, then.

[Totally Guy]

That's a happy day for Belkar, 1 year in prison instead of full blown murder charges and lifting the mark of justice.

Well actually if the mark wasn't lifted and Belkar stayed in jail then Roy couldn't go adventuring without Belkar suffering. If Hinjo wanted Roy to do any questing he'd have had to lift it anyway.

[Swordguy]

Um...how is Belkar going to help defend the city when he's still forbidden (due to MoJ) from doing lethal damage within said city he will be defending?

Did I miss something somewhere? It's early in the morning, so I easily could have...

[Shadow of the Sun]

This comic rocks Rich. Screw Joss Whedon, you are my master now.

[Yellow]

If the MoJ was extralegal, what's to stop the OotS from removing it themselves.

They don't want to?

[oowatie]

What a perfect Belkar moment. "Cool with me. Let's go massacre something."

Awesome

[ADZAELL]

Time difference in Australia means that instead of waiting until Thursday morning, i had to wait until Thursday night. Thank god it was a bumper big comic. my need for OoTS has been appeased

[battleburn]

Hehe, Let's go massacre something!

So, where is Belkar going to fight then? If he fights on the citywalls he is on the border, that should count as inside the city. So what is Belkar's use within this battle?

Oh, just realised. Belkar is on undead duty
Only living creatures.
And we all know how Belkar thinks about killing undead. He gets bored cause they don´t scream.

Good comic. Huray for listen checks.

[GeoffA]

Yay! The new comic is up in time for my birthday.

Probably cooler than what some of my friends will get me

[Khantalas]

Belkar. Still the idiot. Still the coolest. Still the homicidal maniac.

[Alex Kidd]

Awesome.
Poor Hinjo too good for his own good.

So how long til scruffy thief, goth wizard girl and catankerous old dude have a fanclub and emotes?

[Kriel]

Um...how is Belkar going to help defend the city when he's still forbidden (due to MoJ) from doing lethal damage within said city he will be defending?

Did I miss something somewhere? It's early in the morning, so I easily could have...

From what I can gather, they are hoping to engage Xykon's army outside the city walls, so therefore the Mark of Justice wouldn't activate while Belkar is happily slaughtering hobgoblins unless Xykon's army makes it inside the city. Then there would be problems for Belkar.

[Laurellien]

Excellent as always Giant.

[battleburn]

From what I can gather, they are hoping to engage Xykon's army outside the city walls, so therefore the Mark of Justice wouldn't activate while Belkar is happily slaughtering hobgoblins unless Xykon's army makes it inside the city. Then there would be problems for Belkar.

Where did you get that idea? They have less people, they need the defence of the walls to be able to defeat them. Even then it is not sure they will be able to hold them off.

[Rinion]

w00t! New comic!

[SPoD]

If the MoJ was extralegal, what's to stop the OotS from removing it themselves.

Nothing, if they knew that before right this moment. Or, they possibly can't remove it. According to the spell description:

Like the effect of bestow curse, 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.

If the cleric or wizard who placed the mark was higher level than V or Durkon, they probably can't remove it. Neither of them has been witnessed casting 7th level or higher spells (limited wish, miracle, or wish), and remove curse wouldn't work. As far as break enchantment, V and Elan probably don't know the spell. Durkon could cast it, I guess, but that's the only option.

EDIT: OTOH, there's indications that it's "nonstandard", since the book version only bestows a curse, not permanently incapacitates. Maybe it can only be dispelled by a wish or miracle.

Um...how is Belkar going to help defend the city when he's still forbidden (due to MoJ) from doing lethal damage within said city he will be defending?

Did I miss something somewhere? It's early in the morning, so I easily could have...

If the borders of the city are the wall, he sits on top of the wall until the hobgoblins come to the bottom, then he leaps down into their ranks and starts killing.

Or he fights only undead.

[factotum]

One wonders how Belkar is going to remain in the party after the battle for Azure City if he's in prison...

Spoiler

Show

Of course, it's entirely possible that he's going to meet his Maker during this battle, though he still has to cause the death of somebody first according to the Oracle's prophecy.

[Mr.Burn]

Not bad, damn shame Belkar is still gona be in Jail.... nah! :p I bet he'll slip away right after they remove the mark, or Roy will sweet talk Hinjo in to leting him out... OOTS without Belkar would Definatly be boring

[Cifer]

Yep, definitely a nice one. Still, it's strange that they would remove the mark after the fighting.

Oh, and I don't think the three guys are the LG in disguise - after all, how would they have donned said disguise while still in the AM cells?

Oh, and Hinjo's approach to the law seems a bit similar to Roy's: If the laws don't do what they should do, screw them.