OOTS #1268 - The Discussion Thread

[bunsen_h]

I bet anything Belkar knows how to make soup out of fat because he used that skill to help depose of bodies.

That's usually done with the Speak With Dead spell, which doesn't have a material component.

Thinking about this further... Speak With Dead does require a divine focus. And if the cleric has misplaced that... well, cleanliness is next to godliness, so a bar of soap might do in a pinch.

[KorvinStarmast]

Also, I graduated high school at some point between 1990 and 2010.

OK, at this point I have to say something about my lawn.

[Peelee]

OK, at this point I have to say something about my lawn.

If you live anywhere close to Arlen, I would imagine you'd have quite a bit to say about your lawn.

[Kantaki]

But they'll trade around randomly, drawing names out of a hat or something like that. Nobody gets to play themselves. Their ability to do this successfully will show how they've grown as people and as a team.

Belkar draws one of the paladins.
To everyone's surprise* he actually does pretty well in the role.

*including his own.

[Laurentio III]

Belkar draws one of the paladins.
To everyone's surprise* he actually does pretty well in the role.

*including his own.

"I would kill him and rob his corpse so... I will defend him? I guess?"

[Thermophille]

I don't even know what movie is being referenced, but yes, my impression on hearing it was "that doesn't mean the bee can't fly, that means the laws of aerodynamics are wrong". And that was not now how the valedictorian presented it. Hence my rage.

Sometimes things like this remind me how distant some people's thought processes are from the scientific method. Interpreting "X seems impossible but definitely happens" as "anything is possible" rather than "Our understanding is flawed" seems insane to me. Didn't even occur to me that that interpretation was possible until you said this.

[Grey Watcher]

...

What I like best about the strip is how it reminded me of old school tabletop game night, except for that absence of Cheetos bags and Mountain Dew bottles. And dicebags.

I like the implication that Cheetos and Mountain Dew are more critical to tabletop gaming than dice.

[Blue Dragon]

Ok, people! Time to annoy the author asking for the character sheets of all of them and start 117 different threads speculating about which skill will save the day and how it will be! GO, GO, GO!!

[JonahFalcon]

But they'll trade around randomly, drawing names out of a hat or something like that. Nobody gets to play themselves. Their ability to do this successfully will show how they've grown as people and as a team.

One catch is that if they do this after the Xykon adventure is over, Belkar will (as best we know) no longer be available to play. Some player will have to double up, or the DM will run the extra as an NPC.

Belkar draws Durkon.
Elan draws Belkar.
Roy draws Roy.
Haley draws Elan.
Durkon draws Haley.

Poor Roy.

[mjasghar]

Tbh that sounds like the way the characters acted in the first book

[Metastachydium]

Belkar acted like Durkon and Durkon like Haley?

[Robots]

Belkar draws Durkon.
Elan draws Belkar.
Roy draws Roy.
Haley draws Elan.
Durkon draws Haley.

Poor Roy.

Where's V?

Tbh that sounds like the way the characters acted in the first book

My favorite part of Dungeon Crawlin' Fools was when Belkar accidentally gave Haley a colon tumor. But in my opinion, the part with Durkon's wardrobe malfunction was weird and served no purpose in the story.

[Laurentio III]

the part with Durkon's wardrobe malfunction was weird and served no purpose in the story.

Durkon's wardrobe malfunction took three pages of the comics and a blind muskrat covered in cimbals.

[KorvinStarmast]

Durkon's wardrobe malfunction took three pages of the comics and a blind muskrat covered in cimbals.

In the end, Haley told Durkon "while I appreciate you lack of inhibitions, back hair just isn't my thing, so I'm going to see if Elan likes me"

[JonahFalcon]

Where's V?



My favorite part of Dungeon Crawlin' Fools was when Belkar accidentally gave Haley a colon tumor. But in my opinion, the part with Durkon's wardrobe malfunction was weird and served no purpose in the story.

V refused to participate. Then Roy dragged V back and now V is V and is suffering as well as Roy.

Roy: "Oh, no no no. If I have to deal with this, you do too. No exploding runes allowed either."

[Laurentio III]

V refused to participate. Then Roy dragged V back and now V is V and is suffering as well as Roy.

Roy: "Oh, no no no. If I have to deal with this, you do too. No exploding runes allowed either."

"V, if you don't want to play youself, there is an easy solution."
"I heartly concur." *V leaves the table*
"I meant you could have played me!"
"I think I did."

[JonahFalcon]

"V, if you don't want to play youself, there is an easy solution."
"I heartly concur." *V leaves the table*
"I meant you could have played me!"
"I think I did."

Just wait til V has to don the Girdle of Feminity/Masculinity.

[Coventry]

They're rivals, remember? So that makes Banjo equally powerful to Giggles by default.

* blink blink *

I had NOT thought of that.

[Reach Weapon]

From the Wiki:
Early use
The phrase in its pejorative sense has been used since at least the mid-1950s.

I thought everyone knew that jokes about underwater basket weaving went back as far as the academies of the ancient Greeks. Of course, as they had witnessed Atlantis subsiding, the punchlines were quite different.

Also, as a Chef (Gourmet), Belkar having learned how to make soap in a rather embarrassing fashion is not lutefisk.

[Ruck]

That would've been my first thought, since it's Belkar.

But then I realized that if it's something Belkar finds embarrassing it probably isn't related to murder.

See, this is why I think the first interpretation many of us came to is correct. Old Belkar wouldn't have minded; this Belkar has been traveling with at least one person who doesn't know he is/was a psychopathic murderer, and seems to actually have taken that person's ideas to heart.

Of course, it could just be plain old embarrassing, but I don't think Belkar is really embarrassed by much. (Or at least not with regards to his sexuality.) I mean, if someone tries to embarrass him for something, it usually doesn't end well for them, and Old Belkar would've been happy to have the excuse.

[Laurentio III]

The point here is that Belkar is
• annoyed
• doens't want to speak about it
• contributed the information instead of just shut up

I can see some probable scenario:
A ) Diverting attention from a more imbarassing/threathing skill ("Let them concentrare on soapmaking instead of hemorrhoids removal")
B ) Being grumpy proud of his skill, never had a previous chance to show off, but not letting traspire his enthusiam ("At last, my spotlight!")
C ) Something soapmaking related happened and speaking about it is painful, but still things it's worth to contribute. ("This time, no glacial mint oil...")

[drDunkel]

* blink blink *

I had NOT thought of that.

I like this…

[Fyraltari]

You know this panel is really just to mention the puppet. Seriously it has divine powers, no connection to another pantheon, and an unknown number of worshipers. AKA it might fit the requirements for sealing the snarl.

This theory keeps showing up ever since Thor explained the quiddity situation. Before that it was that Banjo would get a vote on the Godsmoot. And the Giant made fun of it in the comic itself.

Banjo is a puppet, he's not going to deus ex machina* the comic.

*Deus super manu?

[Laurentio III]

This theory keeps showing up ever since Thor explained the quiddity situation. Before that it was that Banjo would get a vote on the Godsmoot. And the Giant made fun of it in the comic itself.

Banjo is a puppet, he's not going to deus ex machina* the comic.

*Deus super manu?

Plus, Banjo is sponsorized by Odin anyway!

[JonahFalcon]

Plus, Banjo is sponsorized by Odin anyway!

Liked, but not sponsored. He never joined the pantheon.

[Laurentio III]

Liked, but not sponsored. He never joined the pantheon.

I forgot the blue code. Again. Sorry.

[Riftwolf]

Thinking about this further... Speak With Dead does require a divine focus. And if the cleric has misplaced that... well, cleanliness is next to godliness, so a bar of soap might do in a pinch.

*Vegan Cleric casts Speak with dead on the sausages*
Barbarian: this is why we don't invite you!

[alceryes]

*Vegan Cleric casts Speak with dead on the sausages*
Barbarian: this is why we don't invite you!

*Vegan Cleric looks away from the talking sausage in horror!*
Cannibal: *shrugging as he tosses another piece of kielbasa in his mouth* We thought he would be tough since he yelled a lot, but *licks fingers* he turned out great!

[danielxcutter]

*Vegan Cleric casts Speak with dead on the sausages*
Barbarian: this is why we don't invite you!

I know this doesn't matter for the actual joke but I'm not sure if Speak With Dead actually works on sausages due to how much the corpse has been changed?

[Dame_Mechanus]

See, this is why I think the first interpretation many of us came to is correct. Old Belkar wouldn't have minded; this Belkar has been traveling with at least one person who doesn't know he is/was a psychopathic murderer, and seems to actually have taken that person's ideas to heart.

Of course, it could just be plain old embarrassing, but I don't think Belkar is really embarrassed by much. (Or at least not with regards to his sexuality.) I mean, if someone tries to embarrass him for something, it usually doesn't end well for them, and Old Belkar would've been happy to have the excuse.

That "was" is doing enough heavy lifting that it should have road signs informing vehicles passing nearby that they should not exceed a certain weight.

And yeah, Belkar isn't really ashamed of his sexuality. But he is ashamed of things, and they tend to not be about murder, indiscriminate or otherwise. Sure, Minrah might not know the depths of his behavior, but if he was really hoping to keep that away from her for an extended period of time that plan was probably doomed as soon as they started adventuring together. Or not mentioned in front of her that he's had to evade law enforcement before. Not to mention that, again, he doesn't find his ability to kill things shameful!

By contrast, Belkar has shown that he does have the basic ability to be ashamed of overly exploiting someone, and he can be ashamed of his own shortcomings even if he doesn't like to admit it. Belkar is, in fact, capable of feeling shame about things... and more often than not, what he feels shame about involves emotional vulnerability. He can handle talking about murder just fine, but he has a hard time admitting that he actually cares about other people or that things had an emotional effect on him or, well, that he isn't just a mindless killing machine.

So what is the secret of why he knows how to make soap? I don't know. But I think it's probably something involving an emotional connection that he doesn't want to admit to others. He's much happier feeling entirely divorced from those feelings, even if that's ultimately a lie he tells himself.

Edit to add: I had actually forgotten this myself, but there's a comic linked right in there in which he basically tells Minrah "I murder people" which kind of rules out him not wanting others present to think he's a murderer. Since, you know, of the people present who aren't him seven of them know from direct evidence and one of them already knows because he told her.