OOTS #1203 - The Discussion Thread

[Rogar Demonblud]

That's more about endurance, not speed.

[Fyraltari]

Safe for the baby, but I am not sure how comfortable that is for the mother.

While your point is mostly true, the bigger factor is the engineering compromise between being an upright walker who has to carry the weight of bladder and intestines and baby, and having a space big enough for a baby with an enormous head to pass through.

Quadruped females generally have a much easier time giving birth, in comparison.

Male human hips can be optimized for running and walking. It is one of the reasons that men are faster runners. (But, weirdly enough, women do just as well as ultra-marathoners.)

That compromise is why humans are born ridiculously prematurely compared to other animals. Seriously a foal can walk the day it is born, it take us years to do so. Being born unfinished is also part of why human children are much more subject to external influences than adult.

[Emanick]

Isn't Redcloak supposed to have a very high Wis making him very perspective? Yet he is unable to differentiate the skeletons even though they'd have varying heights and cranial features*. Because as Peelee pointed out this is a stick webcomic. Which also explains why Tsukiko can't tell the difference between a male and female skeleton.

This is a bit subjective, but I'd consider being able to tell the difference between male and female skeletons a Knowledge (anatomy) check, or maaaaaybe a Heal check if I'm feeling generous (perhaps having 5 ranks in Heal would give a synergy bonus to the Knowledge check or something). Identifying the sex of a skeleton, especially one from a different species, seems like it would have more to do with Intelligence than Wisdom. Redcloak is smart, of course, but identifying the sex of a skeleton is an applied skill, not a wholly intuitive one, so I'm not sure his raw intelligence would be enough. Even Tsukiko might not know the difference if she'd simply never bothered to learn - which would certainly be very odd, but I suppose it wouldn't be the first time she was willfully blind to certain features of the undead.

He's not, the BBC just needed his skull for Doctor Who for a bit.

Thank you for referencing my favorite episode. My favorite episode of what? Of anything, really.

[Fyraltari]

This is a bit subjective, but I'd consider being able to tell the difference between male and female skeletons a Knowledge (anatomy) check, or maaaaaybe a Heal check if I'm feeling generous (perhaps having 5 ranks in Heal would give a synergy bonus to the Knowledge check or something). Identifying the sex of a skeleton, especially one from a different species, seems like it would have more to do with Intelligence than Wisdom. Redcloak is smart, of course, but identifying the sex of a skeleton is an applied skill, not a wholly intuitive one, so I'm not sure his raw intelligence would be enough.

I never said Redcloak could tell the skeletons’ sexes at a glance just that he could be expected not to have to rely on pendants to tell them apart because, were this not a stick comic, the skeletons wouldn’t be identical.

Even Tsukiko might not know the difference if she'd simply never bothered to learn - which would certainly be very odd, but I suppose it wouldn't be the first time she was willfully blind to certain features of the undead.

I personally find it funnier to imagine that she feels the need to hide her bisexuality but is completely open about being a corpse******.

[bunsen_h]

Isn't animating skeletons where every necromancers start?

Xykon started with

Spoiler: Spoiler for _Start of Darkness_

Show

his dead pet dog "Barky".

[Jasdoif]

Nope, she said "It's hard to tell when they're just a skeleton" which considering how long she spends in the company of the living dead sounds like a lie.

Well, her usual "children" are more fleshy types like wights...

Actually, what skill would be relevant? Heal?

Probably the Knowledge category corresponding to the creature's original type; that would cover knowledge of how/if sexual dimorphism applies to a particular kind of creature in a way that can be determined from their skeletal structure, and a skeleton would retain the original creature's skeletal structure.

[danielxcutter]

Probably the Knowledge category corresponding to the creature's original type; that would cover knowledge of how/if sexual dimorphism applies to a particular kind of creature in a way that can be determined from their skeletal structure, and a skeleton would retain the original creature's skeletal structure.

So... Knowledge(local) then, since that covers humanoids.

[brian 333]

Profession: Forensics Analyst
Profession: Physician
Knowledge: Anatomy (Human, Demi-human, Humanoid)

This isn't the farthest digression from the comic I've seen, but it's in the top ten. (One could argue that it has to do with Belkar's tracking skill...)

[Schroeswald]

Profession: Forensics Analyst
Profession: Physician
Knowledge: Anatomy (Human, Demi-human, Humanoid)

This isn't the farthest digression from the comic I've seen, but it's in the top ten. (One could argue that it has to do with Belkar's tracking skill...)

Oh come on, there were probably at least ten more off topic digressions in the past year.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Profession: Forensics Analyst
Profession: Physician
Knowledge: Anatomy (Human, Demi-human, Humanoid)

Why not Knowledge: Nature?

[Jasdoif]

Nope, she said "It's hard to tell when they're just a skeleton" which considering how long she spends in the company of the living dead sounds like a lie.

Well, her usual "children" are more fleshy types like wights...

Actually, what skill would be relevant? Heal?

Probably the Knowledge category corresponding to the creature's original type; that would cover knowledge of how/if sexual dimorphism applies to a particular kind of creature in a way that can be determined from their skeletal structure, and a skeleton would retain the original creature's skeletal structure.

So... Knowledge(local) then, since that covers humanoids.

If the "crypt-thing" in question was originally a humanoid, yes. That probably shouldn't be taken for granted, though.

[danielxcutter]

If the "crypt-thing" in question was originally a humanoid, yes. That probably shouldn't be taken for granted, though.

Hmm, true. Even with a reasonably high Int, though, between the requirements of Mystic Theurge and common investments like Spellcraft and Concentration, I suppose she might not have put (sufficient) ranks into the relevant Knowledge skill regardless.

[Dion]

Oh come on, there were probably at least ten more off topic digressions in the past year.

I dont know. This one seems unusual because it’s still about the comic and not about Star Wars.

[Peelee]

I dont know. This one seems unusual because it’s still about the comic and not about Star Wars.

Imean, if you map Roy, Haley, Elan, Durkon, V, and Belkar to Han, Luke, Chewbacca, Kenobi, C-3PO, and R2-D2; and Redcloak and Xykon to Tarquin and Vader; and the canyon to the Death Star, then it's more or less recreating the first movie.

[Schroeswald]

I dont know. This one seems unusual because it’s still about the comic and not about Star Wars.

It may be more unusual than normal but its not farther away than Star Wars (which its been so long since we discussed, next comic I'll probably bring us over to it).

[ebarde]

The characters being stick figures isn't just a out of universe way of portraying them, it's literally how they see themselves in universe too. Probably a part of why Nale's extremely makeshift switcheroo worked, since just glueing facial hair on someone would be extremely noticeable.

[Syncrogti]

Imean, if you map Roy, Haley, Elan, Durkon, V, and Belkar to Han, Luke, Chewbacca, Kenobi, C-3PO, and R2-D2; and Redcloak and Xykon to Tarquin and Vader; and the canyon to the Death Star, then it's more or less recreating the first movie.

So Does this make the MITD either Jabba the Hut, or the trash compactor creature?

[Peelee]

So Does this make the MITD either Jabba the Hut, or the trash compactor creature?

Jar Jar Binks.

[Jasdoif]

So Does this make the MITD either Jabba the Hut, or the trash compactor creature?

Probably one of the Jawas, if facial features are any indication.

[Rogar Demonblud]

There is a distinct lack of UTINIIIII!!!!

[Quizatzhaderac]

... were this not a stick comic, the skeletons wouldn’t be identical.

Well, pretty much every fictional depiction has identical skeletons. It looks like medieval artists tended to draw skeletons in variety. The modern exceptions all tend to be cutesy and/ or ironic.

If the "crypt-thing" in question was originally a humanoid, yes. That probably shouldn't be taken for granted, though.

It's pretty easy to identify an assembled primate skeleton from anything else. I won't say it is or isn't easy to tell between a human versus other great apes, but I strongly doubt undead apes are near as likely as undead sapient humanoids.

[Grey Watcher]

While he dismisses the MITD's question about getting the decoys to look like Xykon, he had to have made SOME effort to find bodies that would match Xykon on at least broad categories like height and build. It's possible that they're similar enough that he can't tell QUICKLY, which is an important factor in the heat of battle.

As for Tsukiko, it could be as simple as the creature was wearing a funeral shroud or something and Tsukiko realized her error when they disrobed. (It's "hard to tell" because skeletal undead lack cues like facial hair). So it's a much more understandable mistake if Tsukiko could only see the crypt keepers face at first.

Overthinking one off gags is fun!

[Peelee]

While he dismisses the MITD's question about getting the decoys to look like Xykon, he had to have made SOME effort to find bodies that would match Xykon on at least broad categories like height and build. It's

Height: Medium
Build: Calcium

I can underthink just as hard as you can overthink!

[KorvinStarmast]

Jar Jar Binks.

*Thweeeeeeeeeet!*

Referee voice:

*That's Binksing; a two minute minor. Into the penalty box you must go*

[Peelee]

*Thweeeeeeeeeet!*

Referee voice:

*That's Binksing; a two minute minor. Into the penalty box you must go*

Exsqueeeeeze me, wesa warriors! Wesa got a grand army. That's why you no likin' us, mesa thinks.

[KorvinStarmast]

Exsqueeeeeze me, wesa warriors! Wesa got a grand army. That's why you no likin' us, mesa thinks.

At this point, the little league ump looks over at your parents and says "Take him home, he's been ejected from the game." (What makes it reallly hurt is that you're the coach).

[Jasdoif]

If the "crypt-thing" in question was originally a humanoid, yes. That probably shouldn't be taken for granted, though.

It's pretty easy to identify an assembled primate skeleton from anything else.

See, you're taking "she was talking about an assembled primate skeleton" for granted.

That's why you no likin' us, mesa thinks.

That's where we're plateauing? Sounds like a pain in the butte....

[Dion]

At this point, the little league ump looks over at your parents and says "Take him home, he's been ejected from the game." (What makes it reallly hurt is that you're the coach).

dad [throwing beer can at umpire’s head] No! You’re the dooku!

Also, the medallions might have been to tell the three new skeletons apart from each other, not to distinguish them from Xykon.

[overthinking is fun!]

[Syncrogti]

OK so I recall a conversation about whether the Gate would really be hidden behind a door at all. Where did that discussion lead?

It does seem likely, (given I know nothing about the person who created it), to make the doors a diversion and the Gate somewhere else.

[brian 333]

Kraggor believed in strength and toughness. Logically, then, the true test is to defeat all of the monsters in Monster Hollow before the gate will appear.