OOTS #1203 - The Discussion Thread

[Fyraltari]

Shell game! The gate isn't in any of those dungeons. C'mon Haley.

(It's probably just out in the open with a lump of snow over it.)

The point of a shell game is to put the mark's attention away from the shell. Having it right next to the cups would be very dumb.

[Mic_128]

The dungeons could be each within their own demiplane space. Or the corridors could loop over each other without perceptible slope, like the corridors of the Demonweb Pits were described to do in that long ago TSR module.

I'm sure you all have noticed the potential spacing issues with the dungeons as soon as the Giant did the first reveal of the Tomb, but I never realized it until he brought it up with this strip. Funny. It seems obvious as soon as Roy says it. Putting those ranks in Architecture to use.

Team Evil already mentioned that it was made of Multidimensional Stone. I assume we've got some Doctor Who-type spatial warping going on, where they're all bigger on the inside.

[Morquard]

Don't you guys remember Redcloak complaining it was multi-dimensional rock, which prevented Xykon from just ghost-forming through it?

Edit: https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1040.html

Also ninja'*d

[Ezekiel]

So, our mysterious abductors of Lien and O'Chul didn't leave footprints for to find?

[hroþila]

Don't you guys remember Redcloak complaining it was multi-dimensional rock, which prevented Xykon from just ghost-forming through it?

Of course, but I assumed all that did was block Xykon's Ghostform, divinations and the like.

[Fyraltari]

So, our mysterious abductors of Lien and O'Chul didn't leave footprints for to find?

Well they seem to be flying.
Then again I'm impressed by Belkar's abilities to find tracks on bare rock.

[Mic_128]

Looks like Oona saw them, and didn't care, or didn't see them at all. Oh well.

Oona's not there, and neither of the bugbears are looking at Team Cloud.

[niklinna]

Okay who else tried to wipe Blackwing off the first panel on their screen?

I learned long ago to just scroll a web page that had a little screen schmutz on it, before assuming actual screen schmutz.

[hamishspence]

Well they seem to be flying.
Then again I'm impressed by Belkar's abilities to find tracks on bare rock.

He's probably been putting skill points heavily into Survival since here:

https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0213.html

[understatement]

Wow, the art is just gorgeous. And I love Therkla's cameo!

So...are the dungeons House-of-Leaves-esque? Bigger on the inside than on the outside? That's a cool mental image.

[niklinna]

You know, it's a good thing Hinjo had Elan using black pieces when he taught the game, or Elan would never have recognized this clue....

Also, nice callback to the ninja, poor thing.

[Kantaki]

I'm about 75% sure Elan got what the game's called and did that routine because he didn't want to play it's what he's supposed to do.
The remaining 25% are cause Elan is an idiot.

Okay who else tried to wipe Blackwing off the first panel on their screen?






Just me?

Guilty as well.

Yup. Tried to wipe two or three times before I noticed it moved with the comic.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Then again I'm impressed by Belkar's abilities to find tracks on bare rock.

He may or may not still have 0 ranks in survival and a negative wisdom modifier, but at level 15 his favored enemy bonus became +8, one of his favored enemies is humans, and the paladins are humans. The standard DC for tracking on hard ground, including bare rock, is 20, maybe with a few +1's for time passed, but that would still give a success with a 15 or so rolled. Hard, but not exceptionally so.

[ebarde]

Honestly even if they hollow out the entire canyon and spiral all rooms up and down, and around each other I still think them not crossing over without the use of some sort of magic is pretty unlikely if not impossible. Keep in mind also that both the cellings and the walls need some room otherwise they would be really thin, and that big monsters probably require a somewhat large living area, and a fair bit of accomodations. At that point they wouldn't even be dungeons as much as the biggest anthill ever, so I think theorizing that there is some magic going on there is nothing but fair.

[Ghosty]

Oona's not there, and neither of the bugbears are looking at Team Cloud.

I thought that was her, and then her with Greyview, in the first panel? Different bugbear and worg, because Team Evil is still in another dungeon from a few strips ago?

[ebarde]

it's definetly her, her outfit has a few notable differences than that of the others of her tribe, and I feel that if it wasn't her and Greyview there would probably be a bigger visual distinctor as to not create confusion

[Fyraltari]

Oona's not there, and neither of the bugbears are looking at Team Cloud.

I thought that was her, and then her with Greyview, in the first panel? Different bugbear and worg, because Team Evil is still in another dungeon from a few strips ago?

That's definitely Oona, the masks fits and she has the little pouch on her belt. Last time we saw Team Evil was a couple days ago but V, Haley and Blackwing saw them meaning they weren't inside at the time.

[ebarde]

She is the only one that has antlers in her mask

[vonBoomslang]

...... we don't know for sure it's Belkar's halfling tracks he found....

[Windscion]

Okay who else tried to wipe Blackwing off the first panel on their screen?


Just me?

> Raises hand.

Edit to add: Hadn't noticed the ninja, thanks for pointing her out.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

Loved the art at the beginning, especially the little blob of Blackwing at the beginning. Hope that stopped everyone from worrying that the Order was easily spottable. I’m honestly surprised Hinjo thought he would get much out of teaching Elan go in the first place.

The little Therkla was neat.

Totally didn’t even see that until you said something!

[Zhorn]

Time to go up a lev.... oh, other forumers have already used that one.
Still made me chuckle.
Cool to see the OotS showing a surprising level of competence in front of the new cleric.

[Windscion]

I just had a thought. Maybe Monster Hollow is all multidimensional because it's at the north pole? I mean if Santa and his elves can hang out invisibly at our north pole, maybe their north pole naturally acts as a nexus? Does make me wonder about the south pole, tho.

[catagent101]

I suspect some kind of trickery is going on with the gate here. Roy has pointed out weirdness with the gigadungeon and the sheer amount of crossed out doors shows us that Team Evil has not been having success. What if the ravine itself is the gate, and multidimensional stone has been put in front of it to obscure it. The doors let their monsters out if someone disturbs the multidimensional stone, leading to an encounter of approximately 4 billion CR before they return to their homes.

Maybe not this exact idea, but I'm not sure the assumption that the doors lead to the gate is correct. The question is what exactly is the point of the doors leading to a dungeon level? And why multiple doors, rather than just one giant dungeon with the gate hidden somewhere in it? Heck, why a dungeon and not just a truly gigantic room full of monsters to squash evil to paste?

[Peelee]

I'm a bit confused by panel 2, it looks like the ravine makes a double curvature.

It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth crescent. I just see that as a natural large cranny that still conforms to the overall shape.

Looks like Oona saw them, and didn't care, or didn't see them at all. Oh well.

Oona is looking away and not towards the sky, so it's highly unlikely she saw them.

Team Evil already mentioned that it was made of Multidimensional Stone. I assume we've got some Doctor Who-type spatial warping going on, where they're all bigger on the inside.

Don't you guys remember Redcloak complaining it was multi-dimensional rock, which prevented Xykon from just ghost-forming through it?

Edit: https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1040.html

Also ninja'*d

Speaking solely for me, I took that to mean the rock existed in multiple dimensions (eg. ethereal plane, for one) to prevent magical travel through the mountain. Not that the doors were portals to other dimensional spaces, which I only now suspect.

[bunsen_h]

The game is named Go. It's called many other things, especially by people who love it and by sore losers. It may have other names in cultures other than the Azurites', if any exist in Stickworld that play the game.

I'm a bit confused by panel 2, it looks like the ravine makes a double curvature.

It does. Sometimes. But not always.

Then again I'm impressed by Belkar's abilities to find tracks on bare rock.

Presumably there's at least a bit of grime, accumulated over many years, or frost. I don't think it's likely that the paladins would have gone to the trouble of rigorously cleaning the ledge. Oona mentioned that the bugbears have "certain berries" so there would seem to be exposed dirt for part of the year, unless the plants grow in snow or in the dungeons.

[GrayGriffin]

Yup. Tried to wipe two or three times before I noticed it moved with the comic.

I went back to check after seeing you guys talk about it and still tried wiping it off.

[bunsen_h]

EDIT: It's possible that Oona noticed the incoming cloudlike objects, realized that they indicate enemy activity, and intentionally didn't react so as to keep them off their guard. And is now on her way to alert Xykon and Redcloak.

Heck, why a dungeon and not just a truly gigantic room full of monsters to squash evil to paste?

I've been assuming that part of the point of the gazillion doors is to make it relatively straightforward for the "authorized" person to have access to the gate without having to deal with absolutely all of the monsters in the place.

I just had a thought. Maybe Monster Hollow is all multidimensional because it's at the north pole? I mean if Santa and his elves can hang out invisibly at our north pole, maybe their north pole naturally acts as a nexus? Does make me wonder about the south pole, tho.

Santa & Co. are the big boss that protect the gate, once one finds the correct door. He has three lists (Good, Neutral, Evil) and checks them twice.

[Fyraltari]

EDIT: It's possible that Oona noticed the incoming cloudlike objects, realized that they indicate enemy activity, and intentionally didn't react so as to keep them off their guard. And is now on her way to alert Xykon and Redcloak.

It’s also possible she’s been working for Hinjo under cover this entire time.

[Schroeswald]

I've been assuming that part of the point of the gazillion doors is to make it relatively straightforward for the "authorized" person to have access to the gate without having to deal with absolutely all of the monsters in the place.

I didn't think of that before, but yeah it makes a lot of sense.