OOTS #603 - The Discussion Thread

[pendell]

I'm loving this strip because I don't know what's going to happen next. Any or all of them might die. I like it that I'm kept guessing!

My wife felt the same way about the people she grew up with, although to the best of my knowledge she never killed any of them with arrows.

Somehow, I don't feel inclined to ask.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[kierthos]

Honestly, the head of the Thieves' Guild has already shown himself to be a petty jerk, so I wouldn't be surprised if he sent in all the other thieves he doesn't really care for first.

Haley is almost certainly going to be relatively uninjured until the climactic fight with Crystal.

The Loki-cleric is almost certainly going to get the Sending off and then get spooked by something and end up removing the Mark of Justice curse on Belkar.

I don't see Celia dying unless she gets in the way of Crystal, because Bozzok would either prefer to ransom her to someone else, or sell her into slavery.

The cat gets away.

[Scatman]

I can see Belkar being de-cursed and killing the cleric just because he can. Great comic, Giant.

[Starscream]

This strip is pretty awesome. It's nice to be reminded just how much butt these characters can kick when they are backed into a corner. I betcha Haley can take down pretty much everyone in the guild...except Crystal, who we know is the same level as her. That one's going to be tough.

I'm kind of guessing/hoping that Belkar is going to need to be healed to help in this fight. I doubt his death is nigh, however, because the Oracle said "within an (in comic) year", and as far as I can tell it has only been about a week (assuming they didn't travel far between the Oracle and Greysky). Yes, I know a week is "within a year", but it seems to me that the Oracle would take enough delight in the Belkster's upcoming death to say "a week" or "a month" if those time frames were more accurate. No point in ominously predicting something right around the corner.

It just occurred to me, why did Haley automatically assume that Belker's curse had been activated by him killing one of the Oracle's helpers? She had no way of knowing about the Lickmyorangeballshalfling trick. You'd think she would assume either that the cause was that Roy's body had gotten too far away at some point, or that the Oracle had used his powers to determine the code word. Certainly my first guess wouldn't be "The Oracle put a settlement right outside his door to avenge his own imminent murder".

[Flashlight]

Haley is awesome.

[nerdnumber1]

And having archers covering the melee one is totally out of thieves mentality, I suppose.
I'm the only one to notice that they are in a fully lighted underground, in a place that is supposedly secret and held by a blind guy? Should not be at least partially dark, allowing thieves to crawl in?
No, thieves charge frontally, one by one, on a ranged defender.

Pete would have lights in case of company/from when he could see (he wouldn't tear down torch mountings and his guests would light them.) The place was probably made before his blindness to offer a single, obvious entry that was advantageous to the defender (chokepoint on stairs )

[Mc. Lovin']

Ai-yaaah! That was awesome, I thkn the next few comics are going to be pretty amazing.

A few questions though, couldn't celia just throw a few lightning bolts at the door from the back of the room? Seems to make a lot of sense to me. I think that this chapter is going to see the end of Belkar. He's gonna get released by Redshirtcleric, and take down a hell of a lot of bad guys *just* as roy gets raised.

[Diamondeye]

When you've only got one way into a place, your options for a sneaky attack are limited. It isn't like the thieves have Bangalore Torpedos or breeching charges.

[kierthos]

When you've only got one way into a place, your options for a sneaky attack are limited. It isn't like the thieves have Bangalore Torpedos or breeching charges.

Quiet, you fool! Don't give the thieves any ideas!

[Saint Nil]

That was awesome Proving that evil will get whats coming to it

[RebelRogue]

It just occurred to me, why did Haley automatically assume that Belker's curse had been activated by him killing one of the Oracle's helpers? She had no way of knowing about the Lickmyorangeballshalfling trick. You'd think she would assume either that the cause was that Roy's body had gotten too far away at some point, or that the Oracle had used his powers to determine the code word. Certainly my first guess wouldn't be "The Oracle put a settlement right outside his door to avenge his own imminent murder".

Because the only possible time span in which Belkar may have triggered the mark is time spent in Sunken Valley. Haley has no recollection of what's located in the valley or not. Why is a settlement out of the question?

[Phishfood]

I'm kind of guessing/hoping that Belkar is going to need to be healed to help in this fight. I doubt his death is nigh, however, because the Oracle said "within an (in comic) year", and as far as I can tell it has only been about a week ......
Certainly my first guess wouldn't be "The Oracle put a settlement right outside his door to avenge his own imminent murder".

1) The oracle made the prediction the first time OOTS went to the oracle, he just repeated it this time. Panel 7 of http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0329.html

2) I was rather confused by Haley's guess. We haven't really seen much in the way of helpers and also she doesn't remember any questions being asked. No questions + MoJ = dead oracle. Of course, knowing the oracle was killed does make things easier.

[Mc. Lovin']

Wait. Sneak attack? He's standing there looking at her. He's standing there talking to her. Is it a sneak attack because she suddenly attacks in the middle of a conversation. Which interrupted a fight.

Granted the fight could be said to start with him speaking first, then Haley, then his turn again, then Haley uses a sneak attack. I thought speaking was a free action though.

Must remember that's how the rules work :)

I assume they had their setup dialogue, then rolled initiative. Hayley won, he was flat footed, visa-vie, sneak attack!

euch, I just realised ... V left durkon, who is going to get the message. They wont be able to get to them without the help of V =/

[Mercenary Pen]

So long as Haley doesn't just stay at the foot of the stairs, I suspect she'll be fine against most of the thieves guild... Based on the paucity of high level PC-classed characters in Azure City, I'd surmise that the majority of the thieves guild are Rogues of 6th level or lower... Leaving only Crystal (who we know is at Haley's level) and probably Bozzak and couple of his Lieutenants to pose a real threat... And we'll probably discover that Mr. Scruffy has been given a couple of levels of Monk on the quiet

[pjackson]

A few questions though, couldn't celia just throw a few lightning bolts at the door from the back of the room?

Sure, but the key word is *few*.
If a bunch of low level thieves line up for her it is a good tactic.

[Mc. Lovin']

Well there's only one way to come down the stairs

If Celia cannot be revived, what happens? Would she be able to get back with a plane shift spell? (Like those guys who attacked Roy in the afterlife)

[factotum]

Strange how Sending didn't seem to have a 10-minute casting time when Nale was using it to send his message back in strip #337...

[hamishspence]

True Resurrection works on outsiders. However, its very high level and very expensive.

[RMS Oceanic]

Strange how Sending didn't seem to have a 10-minute casting time when Nale was using it to send his message back in strip #337...

They were scrolls. Scrolls require just a standard action to use.

[Slayn82]

So long as Haley doesn't just stay at the foot of the stairs, I suspect she'll be fine against most of the thieves guild... Based on the paucity of high level PC-classed characters in Azure City, I'd surmise that the majority of the thieves guild are Rogues of 6th level or lower... Leaving only Crystal (who we know is at Haley's level) and probably Bozzak and couple of his Lieutenants to pose a real threat... And we'll probably discover that Mr. Scruffy has been given a couple of levels of Monk on the quiet

Well, we can assume he is currently Belkar animal companiom, so Scruffy does gain some extra atributes, hit dices and damage. I bet it will even pawn some butts.

[Koshiro]

Really the only people Belkar's killed in the "recent past"

By "recent past" I was referring to "the run of the comic strip." Yeah, should have made that clear, considering that even the characters in the comic do it.

I don't think so, she seems to have a plan, and a fairly pragmatic one at that. Belkar, being Belkar, could be a dangerous variable. Sure, he probably would happily kill the thieves. Afterwards? Chaotic evil, unpredictable Belkar in evil city with no MoJ or Roy to control him?

Oh, come on. By this reasoning, she wouldn't have even brought him along.

I fear this strip is another indication of Belkar's ongoing transformation from "anarchist black comedy source" to "butt of obnoxious moral highhorsery". I don't particularly like this development.

[Mauve Shirt]

Good strip. Hopefully they finally make contact.

[kierthos]

Oh, come on. By this reasoning, she wouldn't have even brought him along.

Ah, but until the Loki-cleric told her it was a curse, she thought he had some sort of disease. She brought him along because she thought he was still operating under the MoJ. And point of fact, Belkar didn't remember activating the curse either, so he still acted like it could still be triggered. (Actually, he's been doing little but vomit, but that's not the point.)

[DigoDragon]

First I thought "Well doesn't Celia have the ability to shoot lightning?"
Then I thought "But these are rogues, they all have the Evasion feat."
And then finally I thought "Ah, but probability states that in twenty bolts someone is going to roll a 1 on their Reflex Save and get toasted."


So in conclusion I'm just really bored here at my job if I'm thinking that in 100 rounds Celia should be able to toast 5 rogues.

[luxgladius]

I'm a little fuzzy on Celia's abilities. Can she not simply Planeshift out if the fighting gets bad? For that matter, couldn't she have gamed the system by Planeshifting out, Planeshifting to Durkon's location to deliver a message, and then Planeshifting back? Even at 1 Planeshift/day, that would be a lot faster than what's been happening.

[RMS Oceanic]

I don't believe Sylphs have planeshifting powers, and that she was only able to reach Haley because of the magic item she specifically had created.

[derfenrirwolv]

Mechanically, Haley should be almost useless against a rogue of 4th level or above. Uncanny dodge allows you to keep your dex bonus, and thus avoid being sneak attacked. I think the only ways around that are immobilization (hold person spells, grappling etc) and using feint.

[nowiwantmydmg]

Awesome strip, this should prove interesting. 99 more to go...

[ralphmerridew]

I don't believe Sylphs have planeshifting powers, and that she was only able to reach Haley because of the magic item she specifically had created.

She needed to be summoned to get through the Cloister spell.

[neoseph7]

Here's to hoping that Old Blind Pete Triple Crosses the Guild and is both cool with Haley and Alive when the dust settles.