OOTS #1241 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[Deuce]

I see the Order's saving throws remain slaves to the plotline . . .

[Psepha]

Ahhhhhh we're so close to the Bloodfeast awesomeness, so close!

[Potatopeelerkin]

Alright, I'm not a D&D player. Can someone please explain to me what got used on Belkar, Elan, and Haley's bow?

[RMS Oceanic]

Well that's gotta hurt.

[kallikalev]

So this is definitely a defeat for OOTS, do we think they’ll have more luck talking to Serni than the paladins did?

[Puschkin]

Never played AD&D but shouldn't more than 2 of them make their save? By now they must be among the highest level adventurers if not characters alltogether!

[Sir_Norbert]

This is great :)

[RMS Oceanic]

Alright, I'm not a D&D player. Can someone please explain to me what got used on Belkar, Elan, and Haley's bow?

Belkar got Fear, Elan got Charm Person, Mr Scruffy got Charm Monster, and the Bow got Telekinesis

[Fyraltari]

So? I'm guessing : petrification, sleep, telelkinesis, slow, something that makes you attack allies, something that makes you fearful, charm and I suppose #8 woumd have been something lethal?

In any case, Sunny has good aim.

[link3710]

Alright, I'm not a D&D player. Can someone please explain to me what got used on Belkar, Elan, and Haley's bow?

Telekinesis for the bow
Charm Person on Elan
Flesh to Stone for our resident cleric
Slow for V
Charm Monster on the cat (I think?)
Belkar is maaaaybe another Charm Person???

As for the rest? Beholders can't poison, so it's gotta be related to this being a homebrew knock-off.

Edit: as someone pointed out, Belkar was fear actually, whoops. Oh and forgot to mention Minah was obviously sleep

[Deuce]

So? I'm guessing : petrification, sleep, telelkinesis, slow, something that makes you attack allies, something that makes you fearful, charm and I suppose #8 woumd have been something lethal?

In any case, Sunny has good aim.

Most likely Disintegrate.

[Hasric]

So what was #8 meant to be, or is Sunny referring to not hitting Roy?

Simultaneously posted with the Disintegrate answer above, but doesn't explain why Serini feels the need to be non lethal

[kallikalev]

Never played AD&D but shouldn't more than 2 of them make their save? By now they must be among the highest level adventurers if not characters alltogether!

This is going by approximately 3.5e rules and they’re levels 14-16, so should have probably made a couple. I think the beholder specifically targeted the weak throws, Haley with the strength, Elan and Bella’s with will, ect.

Also they’re all slaves to the plotline, just like the net in comic #556.

[KorvinStarmast]

I see the Order's saving throws remain slaves to the plotline . . .

As ever.

Ahhhhhh we're so close to the Bloodfeast awesomeness, so close!

Yes, so very close! And so very far away.

1. I love the big panel with Serini hanging onto an eye stalk - 'Bottoms Up' tactic. *golf clap*
Nice use of the monster, Giant. In some editions, beholders only use a few eyes at a time at random, but since this isn't a random monster, it makes sense that Serini has taught Sunny how to use his skills tactically (she's epic level rogue, and pretty smart) so why not use all at once? (Not sure if beholders have a recharge in 3.5 or not ...)

2. With Serini hanging by an eyestalk, how does she reload the crossbow she hasn't got in her hand in the barrage panel, and then shoot a bolt (with poison on it) at V? (I am not 3.5e expert enough to understand the feats and features of the epic rogue class). Maybe it's a magic hand crossbow that reloads itself? Can anyone help me with that?

3. Bloodfeast is out of the bag! Hooray!

4. Durkon saves versus stone: Hooray!

5. Minrah does not save versus sleep.

Lots of action, cinematic and stuff. *Bravo, Giant, great strip!*

[SlashDash]

I laugh at the irony that when they went to fight the vampires with Wormy, Haley complained that suddenly everyone memorize invisibility purge because it's a common tactics for characters in their level.

Except none of them thought of doing the same. Even though they had their share of invisible enemies (like Xykon on the dragon)

Alright, I'm not a D&D player. Can someone please explain to me what got used on Belkar, Elan, and Haley's bow?

Elan is some form of charm\domination. Same thing that happened to him before the fight. You'll also note he's talking very similar to when the vampires dominated them.

Belkar I assumed some form of Doom?

V was slowed

Haley's bow was telekinetically pulled away, like Elan's Lute before

Durkon was flesh to stone but he resisted.

Never played AD&D but shouldn't more than 2 of them make their save? By now they must be among the highest level adventurers if not characters alltogether!

Durkon passed his. Roy would have likely passed a save as well.

Besides, it's been made clear that the order has very poor willsaves. I mean Elan, Haley and Belkar fell to the vampire's domination. Durkon even said he wondered if the cat could summon Roy alone because he knew Malack would dominate all of them.

Besides, they are high characters, but Serini is higher than all of them.

[kallikalev]

As for the rest? Beholders can't poison, so it's gotta be related to this being a homebrew knock-off.

The poison wasn’t the beholder, it hit V with a slow and Serini shot an epic-level poisoned crossbow bolt.

[Deuce]

Telekinesis for the bow
Charm Person on Elan
Flesh to Stone for our resident cleric
Slow for V
Charm Monster on the cat (I think?)
Belkar is maaaaybe another Charm Person???

As for the rest? Beholders can't poison, so it's gotta be related to this being a homebrew knock-off.

Edit: as someone pointed out, Belkar was fear actually, whoops. Oh and forgot to mention Minah was obviously sleep

Roy was poisoned earlier in the fight.

[Dion]

Simultaneously posted with the Disintegrate answer above, but doesn't explain why Serini feels the need to be non lethal

Serini is either neutral or “adventurer good”, and doesn’t care if a few people die in combat.

Sunny is “actual good”, and doesn’t kill people.

[Rad]

So what was #8 meant to be, or is Sunny referring to not hitting Roy?

Simultaneously posted with the Disintegrate answer above, but doesn't explain why Serini feels the need to be non lethal

Her plan A is to make them all forget what happened and go home thinking they found nothing. This would be much harder if one of them failed to return, even the cat, as it would be a noticeable dicrepancy.

[Fyraltari]

So what was #8 meant to be, or is Sunny referring to not hitting Roy?

Simultaneously posted with the Disintegrate answer above, but doesn't explain why Serini feels the need to be non lethal

People need reasons not to want to kill people, now?

Or, as Ben would put it: I wrote "Good" on my character sheet and I jolly well meant it!

[The MunchKING]

I never thought I'd have to correct a bard on word-usage, but "surrender" alone is 3 syllables.

[KorvinStarmast]

Did Durkon's neutralize poison on Roy get fizzled by getting hit by a spell?
I don't recall non damaging effects causing spells to fizzle, Durkon seems to have started the spell before Sunny let loose with the barrage ... again, not 3.5e savvy enough to understand how that's supposed to work.
(Or is this the old - at the speed of plot thing?)

Also, that prismatic spray induces a variety of saving throws, or saving throw options. It turned a gigantic demon into a statue a few books, and a few V levels, ago.
V must have a pretty high save DC on spells.

So why is Serini unaffected by prismatic spray? (In the edition I play these days, 5e, that's a pretty stout 7th level spell ...)... or is this a 'save by plot' deal? (Granted, epic level rogues ought to have some pretty good saving throws).

[Curupira]

Never played AD&D but shouldn't more than 2 of them make their save? By now they must be among the highest level adventurers if not characters alltogether!

I just sent today comic's link to a friend who also reads OotS regularly and also plays D&D weekly.

My friend: I can't believe the cleric borked his petrification save! Also, unless this is an enhanced beholder watchamacallits, the party is much over his challenge rating, they shouldn't all mangle their saves.

Me: "And once again, Probability proves itself willing to sneak into a back alley and service Drama as would a copper-piece harlot"

[SlashDash]

I'm pretty sure that Belkar pulling Bloodfeast out of the bag means we're not going to see him going full dino.

My guess? Serini will narrow the party down and it will eventually come down to talking to give them pause.
If Serini wins, the party's memory will be wiped out and the story is over (unless a wild guess about IFCC have V gain their memory back)

But regardless, I find it far more plausible that Serini is closer to Gerard's mentality. Once the Durkon, Minrah and Roy are out of the picture (I.E the lawful ones), the chaotic ones will be able to talk Serini down as they are on a much closer mentality.

[Potatopeelerkin]

I just sent today comic's link to a friend who also reads OotS regularly and also plays D&D weekly.

My friend: I can't believe the cleric borked his petrification save! Also, unless this is an enhanced beholder watchamacallits, the party is much over his challenge rating, they shouldn't all mangle their saves.

Me: "And once again, Probability proves itself willing to sneak into a back alley and service Drama as would a copper-piece harlot"

I thought Durkon did manage his save. The panel seems to suggest he's fighting it, as opposed to everyone else who just immediately succumbs.

[SlashDash]

I just sent today comic's link to a friend who also reads OotS regularly and also plays D&D weekly.

My friend: I can't believe the cleric borked his petrification save! Also, unless this is an enhanced beholder watchamacallits, the party is much over his challenge rating, they shouldn't all mangle their saves.

Me: "And once again, Probability proves itself willing to sneak into a back alley and service Drama as would a copper-piece harlot"

We don't have full stats for Serini or Sunny. For all we know, Serini might have some prestige class like some weird version of beastmaster or something that let's her have cohorts with buffs. Or maybe she had some magical items or let Sunny drink some potion to buff him.

[hroþila]

My guess is that the whole book is going to be a succession of scenarios where Bloodfeast comes increasingly close to being unpolymorphed, right until the climactic final battle against Xykon. Where he won't be unpolymorphed either.

If Sunny and Serini have managed to take out V, Durkon and Minrah, they have little reason to reactivate the anti-magic field.

[Yendor]

I never thought I'd have to correct a bard on word-usage, but "surrender" alone is 3 syllables.

That's the joke. See Belkar's comment.

[kallikalev]

We don't have full stats for Serini or Sunny. For all we know, Serini might have some prestige class like some weird version of beastmaster or something that let's her have cohorts with buffs. Or maybe she had some magical items or let Sunny drink some potion to buff him.

Given the absurd amount of magic items Serini had back in her lair, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve both drank a potion to buff literally every stat, thereby increasing saving throws.