OOTS #1162 - The Discussion Thread

[Personification]

Giant, you have to stop what your are doing with Sigdi, there must be some law forbidding a character from being so emotive and badass at the same time.

Of there were, the Giant would have already broken it on Mr. O-Chul "My Constitution Modifier Is Higher Than Rasputin's" Stiffly. (Yes, I know that's not his real name).

[Fyraltari]

I’ve just thought of one thing: I bet that Kandro will die heroically in that battle, and as Durkon & Family rejoice, Hilgya will get upset with them which lead to another discussion on the dwarven afterlife possibly with an internal reveal of why the Bet and the role Loki played in it.

[Quebbster]

I’ve just thought of one thing: I bet that Kandro will die heroically in that battle, and as Durkon & Family rejoice, Hilgya will get upset with them which lead to another discussion on the dwarven afterlife possibly with an internal reveal of why the Bet and the role Loki played in it.

I had a similar thought since Kandro was grateful for a new chance to get into Valhalla. That clearly hasn't happened yet...

[MartianInvader]

I think it's no coincidence that the bet was between Thor and Hel, brokered by Loki, and the highest-level characters in that chamber are about to be clerics of Thor, Hel, and Loki.

I'm still guessing there's going to be some kind of renegotiation of the bet.

[AnonymousPepper]

So what music would you choose for this part of the strip were it a movie?

The Flag Must Fall from the Call of Duty: Finest Hour soundtrack. Alternate: Winged Hussars by Sabaton. Good lord.

[The_Weirdo]

I’ve just thought of one thing: I bet that Kandro will die heroically in that battle, and as Durkon & Family rejoice, Hilgya will get upset with them which lead to another discussion on the dwarven afterlife possibly with an internal reveal of why the Bet and the role Loki played in it.

That may well be the case, but in this scenario Hilgya likely won't stop worshipping Loki - or at least paying lip service to him. That way, she is certain to get the normal afterlife chances everyone deserves. That or she can switch to a trickster deity on any part of the alignment chart that did not scr*w her over.

[Fyraltari]

That may well be the case, but in this scenario Hilgya won't stop worshipping Loki - or at least paying lip service to him. That way, she is certain to get the normal afterlife chances everyone deserves.

Certain is a big word. Also Hilgya is vindictive, I don’t expect her to worship someone who screwed her over, whatever the advantage she gains by submitting to their will. If she were like that she wouldn’t have left Ivan.

Come to think of it, Thor has promised to to answer Durkon’s Commune spells from now on and the subject of the Bet was suspiciously absent from their conversation. If the spell used by Durkon* to talk to Hel was indeed a house-rules Commune, we may yet see Thor answer to the Council of Clan Elders. And the Thundershield Clan.

Wait Thundershield Clan... none of the Dinner Party had relatives when they died and the Exaargh only took care to secure a majority... With the arrival of the whole family on the scene I find the «Sigdi is a Clan Elder and her vote will stop the vampires» theory more likely than before.

[The_Weirdo]

Certain is a big word. Also Hilgya is vindictive, I don’t expect her to worship someone who screwed her over, whatever the advantage she gains by submitting to their will. If she were like that she wouldn’t have left Ivan.

On the bolded: not when compared to Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, it isn't.

But yeah, you're right. It's why I proposed the alternate solution in my edit.

[Sir_Galliant]

Out of curiosity, how does a pick work as a weapon in Dungeons and Dragons?

[Fyraltari]

Not sure there are other trickster gods in the Northern Pantheon, though. In real life religion Odin is a trickster god, but OOTS Odin, doesn't seem to be one.

[The_Weirdo]

Out of curiosity, how does a pick work as a weapon in Dungeons and Dragons?

1d6 damage, x4 crit, piercing.

Not sure there are other trickster gods in the Northern Pantheon, though. In real life religion Odin is a trickster god, but OOTS Odin, doesn't seem to be one.

She doesn't have to restrict herself to the Northern Pantheon, though.

[zimmerwald1915]

Not sure there are other trickster gods in the Northern Pantheon, though. In real life religion Odin is a trickster god, but OOTS Odin, doesn't seem to be one.

Or at least, not a witting one. I'm sure his wild vacillations and fuzzy revelations can feel trickster-ish enough to those who receive them.

[Keltest]

My understanding is that Odin was less trickster and more just clever. He could fool and manipulate people when he needed to, but he didn't do it compulsively the way Loki did.

[Ruck]

He is probably dyeing it...

Would be strange to dye his hair and leave the exact same patch of gray he had 20 or more years ago.

[Leftour]

My understanding is that Odin was less trickster and more just clever. He could fool and manipulate people when he needed to, but he didn't do it compulsively the way Loki did.

"In modern popular culture, Odin is often portrayed as being an eminently honorable ruler and battlefield commander (not to mention impossibly muscular), but to the ancient Norse, he was nothing of the sort. In contrast to more straightforwardly noble war gods such as Tyr or Thor, Odin incites otherwise peaceful people to strife with what, to modern tastes, is a downright sinister glee."

Source: https://norse-mythology.org/gods-and...oddesses/odin/

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Would be strange to dye his hair and leave the exact same patch of gray he had 20 or more years ago.

Maybe he keeps it because he feels it gives him a certain gravitas without making him look too old?

The mindset of those who use cosmetics is completely foreign to me, but the people who sell hair dye for men do seem to believe there is a market for those who want to be a bit grey, but not too grey.

Grey Wolf

[Ruck]

Maybe he keeps it because he feels it gives him a certain gravitas without making him look too old?

The mindset of those who use cosmetics is completely foreign to me, but the people who sell hair dye for men do seem to believe there is a market for those who want to be a bit grey, but not too grey.

Grey Wolf

I just think it would be pretty difficult to maintain that exact patch of gray if he wanted to keep it. (Probably not relevant, but speaking as someone who prefers to keep his gray going the natural route.)

[Rogar Demonblud]

Out of curiosity, how does a pick work as a weapon in Dungeons and Dragons?

Like any other, you swing it and hit something. Tends to have a smaller damage die, but it does have armor penetration (in 2E) or a big crit multiplier (in 3E).

[Hopeless]

I wonder can they combine their spells to enhance one of the main casters so maybe V can dispel those summoned creatures?

[zimmerwald1915]

I wonder can they combine their spells to enhance one of the main casters so maybe V can dispel those summoned creatures?

Why would you want that? Durkon's family can set things aright all by their lonesome (with some convenient high-level damage sponges) thank you very much.

[Ghosty]

Why would you want that? Durkon's family can set things aright all by their lonesome (with some convenient high-level damage sponges) thank you very much.

I'm surprised the earth elementals are still there. Hilgya's flame strike have already been shown to pack a wallop, and large earth elementals just aren't that strong. If combining forces helped make a dismissal or banishment stick on the LDW, that'd be great----I don't think it works like that though.

As to the efficacy of the extended family, as heartwarming as the scene was, and as much as I loved seeing it, wouldn't an Unholy Blight/Quickened Cone of Cold wipe most of them off the map? It would be another round the LDW couldn't use to attack the rest of the Order though.

[darius404]

I created an account here just to say that the last panel made me cry.

[Resileaf]

I'm surprised the earth elementals are still there. Hilgya's flame strike have already been shown to pack a wallop, and large earth elementals just aren't that strong.

Large earth elementals have 68 HP, flame strike does a maximum of 90 damage if you're lvl 15, so the average damage is around 50.

[bottled]

I think the reasoning is, she wouldn't let him. It doesn't really matter what Sigdi's reasoning is. Just that she didn't allow Durkon to do it. And it's not really a surprise. We always knew she didn't want the arm regenerated.

She might think that her arm is still holding her Husband and therefore by growing a new one would be letting go of him. She NEVER let go of him, nor do I think will she.

[zimmerwald1915]

I'm surprised the earth elementals are still there. Hilgya's flame strike have already been shown to pack a wallop, and large earth elementals just aren't that strong.

It helps, when mentally computing the damage done in OOTS fights, to presume that AoE blast spells do 1 damage per die before saves - which are usually made. Rarely do those spells swing fights in this comic.

If combining forces helped make a dismissal or banishment stick on the LDW, that'd be great----I don't think it works like that though.

It doesn't - normally. I know in PF1 there are feats that allow you to add +1 to another caster's CL, but 1) that requires a specific feat, and isn't something anyone can just do and 2) I don't know if an option like that exists in D&D3.5.

As to the efficacy of the extended family, as heartwarming as the scene was, and as much as I loved seeing it, wouldn't an Unholy Blight/Quickened Cone of Cold wipe most of them off the map?

Probably. Which is why that absolutely will not happen. I have ten gold that cries out as much.

[Resileaf]

As long as the family stays far away from the worm, they won't get hit by the cone of cold, as its range is sixty feet. Unholy blight is more dangerous as the range is quite long, but the damage is maximum 5d8, so it's survivable.

[D.One]

She might think that her arm is still holding her Husband and therefore by growing a new one would be letting go of him. She NEVER let go of him, nor do I think will she.

And now that I think about it:

After the battle is over, will we have a scene where Minrah speaks to Durkon and Sidgi about the chat she may have had with Tenrin when she entered Valhalla?

[zimmerwald1915]

And now that I think about it:

After the battle is over, will we have a scene where Minrah speaks to Durkon and Sidgi about the chat she may have had with Tenrin when she entered Valhalla?

Probably not. Roy didn't remember any of the conversations he had in Celestia, he only the conversations from his time on the clouds. It stands to reason that Valhalla would work the same way. If Minrah is going to be bearing a message from Tenrin, he'd have had to leave Valhalla to deliver it to her, or deputize an angel.

[understatement]

Some of these dwarves might've been adventuring a while. I don't think this scene will have the greatest of impacts if the worm just Cone-of-Colds them into X'es.

[Resileaf]

Probably not. Roy didn't remember any of the conversations he had in Celestia, only from his time on the clouds. It stands to reason that Valhalla would work the same way. If Minrah is going to be bearing a message from Tenrin, he'd have had to leave Valhalla to deliver it to her, or deputize an angel.

At best she'll have vague feelings of stuff that happened while she was up there.

Most of it might be about being ****-faced though.