OOTS #667 - The Discussion Thread

[Jimorian]

One factor RE: Tiamat. The fiends gave V the soul splice knowing that it was going to be used against at least one black dragon. Assuming they knew the spell lists of the souls, familicide was a distinct possible outcome as well.

It could be that Tiamat is more angry at them than V, but that's usually not how grudges between higher powers like this works, so I'm still guessing V is still going to be the actual target of any godly venting.

[Majutsukai]

Your math is off.
the 3 min 6 seconds is how long the necromancer remained tied to V for the splice. The 20 min 35 sec is how long the other 2 stayed spliced to V.

44min and 16 seconds is how long total V has to be in service to the demons.
3 min 6 seconds for the one who spliced the necromancer.
20min and 6 seconds for the 2 who spliced the other 2.

20 min and 35 seconds is the maximum time that V spent with any of the splices. Please correct me if my math is off to.

...?

Unless I misunderstand, you basically said the same thing as the quoted text.

[Morquard]

Your math is off.
the 3 min 6 seconds is how long the necromancer remained tied to V for the splice. The 20 min 35 sec is how long the other 2 stayed spliced to V.

44min and 16 seconds is how long total V has to be in service to the demons.
3 min 6 seconds for the one who spliced the necromancer.
20min and 6 seconds for the 2 who spliced the other 2.

20 min and 35 seconds is the maximum time that V spent with any of the splices. Please correct me if my math is off to.

The point is, a round is 6 seconds in DnD. AKA 1 minute is 10 rounds exactly.
3 minutes and 6 seconds is therefore exactly 31 rounds.
but 20 minutes and 35 secs doesn't work. (36 sec would be a full round)

So either its a typo from the Giant, or an indication that the splices where knocked out of V before the round was over. He was about to cast Teleport and got hit by a Smash of Opportunity. Or... the Giant simply didn't pay attention to it, and just picked some numbers.

[JustRain]

AWESOME! A great strip.

[GaaSaku-rules]

Very nice little strip with a good ominous ending.

Hopefully V will soon contact Kyrie to let him/her know that he/she is ok and/or apologise.

[factotum]

I wonder why V is refreshed all of the sudden. by the time she got the soul splice she hadn't "slept" for weeks or months even, big red eyes, dark under-eye circles, confused and all ... nothing of that is left.

The fiends specifically stated that the splice would rejuvenate V (including allowing him to replenish his spell slots without having to trance)...I guess the rejuvenating effect remained even though the splices are all gone.

[Shatteredtower]

Aw, V. After a moment like that, I just want to...

...kick the thrice-damned moron in the head.

It hasn't once crossed the elf's mind that actions committed within the last hour (let me emphasize "within" before anyone comments on 20 minutes and 35 seconds) might possibly have drastic consequences for the rest of the team, hmm? Even if there's only a remote chance of this going south for everyone, this is not the sort of thing one should keep private.

Earning a kick in the rear now would have been better than what's going to happen when someone comes looking to kick in teeth, even if there's no way to avoid the latter.

[prufock]

Durkon is always fantastically written.

[Sotris]

Aw, V. After a moment like that, I just want to...

...kick the thrice-damned moron in the head.

It hasn't once crossed the elf's mind that actions committed within the last hour (let me emphasize "within" before anyone comments on 20 minutes and 35 seconds) might possibly have drastic consequences for the rest of the team, hmm? Even if there's only a remote chance of this going south for everyone, this is not the sort of thing one should keep private.

Earning a kick in the rear now would have been better than what's going to happen when someone comes looking to kick in teeth, even if there's no way to avoid the latter.

It's possible that V fell for the fiends' bluff, and actually believes that the dominion on his soul by them will be posthumously- so he thinks it's just a personal problem.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Why did Tiamat take up 5 lines instead of 5 phones on the same line?
Oh, yeah, for the punchline.
Also, the breath weapons were a nice touch.

[warmachine]

As Tiamat is clearly angry, it is interesting that the director's secretary didn't first ask the directors whether they'd take the call. Secretaries routinely lie to unimportant people about someone not being available. This suggests Tiamat has the political or social power to make the fiend's lives uncomfortable if she wanted to.

[Gamerlord]

HILARIOUS!

When I first saw this comic I thought that Timat was angry because she wanted some time with the Elf, but then I Remembered all those black dragons....

Oracles not gonna be happy next time he sees the OOTS.

[Azura]

As Tiamat is clearly angry, it is interesting that the director's secretary didn't first ask the directors whether they'd take the call. Secretaries routinely lie to unimportant people about someone not being available. This suggests Tiamat has the political or social power to make the fiend's lives uncomfortable if she wanted to.

Well, Tiamat is a fairly prominent goddess; she certainly doesn't fall under the category of "unimportant people."

[Eric O'Really]

ouch, v should really tell them allready. ^^
and nice art upgrade for him. is that yellow thing his headband of intellect? was it ever a headband of intellect or just a regular headband?

also we know how much time he owns to the fiends. i would say, 27 minutes are not that bad, but i think we all know better than that.

[Mr. Scaly]

The word 'boned' does not BEGIN to describe V's current situation. Depending on just how vengeful Miss T is, or if the IFCC can placate her...

[Shatteredtower]

It's possible that V fell for the fiends' bluff, and actually believes that the dominion on his soul by them will be posthumously- so he thinks it's just a personal problem.

Sure, that's quite likely. The problem is that V has also managed to stir up two other hornet's nests with Xykon and Tiamat.

I can even understand how V is oblivious to all three of these events. It's well within character. Nevertheless, it's annoying.

Granted, some of the bitterness I'm feeling is because...

Spoiler

Show

...this strip might touch on the means by which Durkon will fulfill two prophecies. We already know the kind of death and destruction V, with the right backers, is capable of delivering.

[Sijo]

Something just occurred to me: Tiamat might not be calling the IFCC to complain about the familicide.

She might be working with them!

Remember, Tiamat grants the Oracle's ability to see the future, in an apparently perfect way. Now, why would she give such an ability to an underling unless she had (or could give to herself) the same thing?

This means, TIAMAT KNOWS EVERYTHING THAT WILL HAPPEN! (That had to include the dragon genocide.)

While I'm sure she's pissed over losing so many dragons, being evil, she probably cares more about getting control over the Snarl.

I do *not* like this idea. I hate unchangeable futures or all-knowing characters. Plus, no version of Tiamat I've ever seen had such perfect foresight. I'd prefer to think that the Oracle gift *somehow* only works for him though Tiamat grants it.

...Though that still would allow her to question him as needed, no?

Let's see if Rick addresses this...

[Shatteredtower]

I'm also a bit confused about how some readers don't understand that the point of "Ms" is that a woman's marital status is generally none of your business. Those who use the term use neither Mrs nor Miss to describe themselves.

[Stanfield22]

I'm not about to surge into a winded debate about this, but I'm of the belief that Tiamat only has CERTAIN aspects of control over seeing the future. The Oracle's messages to the heroes are generally pretty cryptic (which we all know led Belkar to kill that mangy little Kobold), but I wouldn't be led to believe that Tiamat's not dispensing everything she has to the Oracle; after all the Oracle itself (herself?) is a gift to the draconic races, and therefore, little more than a servant, one could presume.

I could further this by believing that Tiamat's powers have certain extension over the draconic races; hence the Lizardmen popping up at the opportune time to resurrect the Oracle, followed by receiving info on when next to return.

Knowing everything = a form of omnipotence. I don't think any of the gods have that kind of power.

[Rhuna_Coppermane]

*applause*

Analysis will wait until I have time to read through the thread.

[The Shadow]

Takhisis... I mean Tiamat on five lines. BWAHAHAHAAHAHAHHAHAHHHAHAHAHA*snort*HAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAAHAHA

As a fan of Dragonlance I am naturally a fan of Takhisis and that extends to the OGL remake of her in Tiamat (nicely adapted to OotS). That's awesome stuff right there.

...

OGL remake?

Huh? Tiamat (the D&D dragon goddess, not the Babylonian one) dates back to the AD&D Monster Manual. The Dragonlance reworking of her as Takhisis came well after.

[ednarimal]

The point is, a round is 6 seconds in DnD. AKA 1 minute is 10 rounds exactly.
3 minutes and 6 seconds is therefore exactly 31 rounds.
but 20 minutes and 35 secs doesn't work. (36 sec would be a full round)

So either its a typo from the Giant, or an indication that the splices where knocked out of V before the round was over. He was about to cast Teleport and got hit by a Smash of Opportunity. Or... the Giant simply didn't pay attention to it, and just picked some numbers.

actually, 20 minutes 35 seconds is exactly 9 rounds after 19 minutes 41 seconds(the time the splices quoted before V teleported to Xykon), so the important time was measured in rounds, but somewhere between killing the dragon and teleporting to Xykon, V's initiative changed, simple as that

[Wanderer]

Dear me, Tiamat is mighty unhappy. Apparently she was immune to the familicide (which is probably the only reason any dragons are still alive at all anywhere in the world(s)) but I'd say she is still quite displeased at what just happened to a whole bunch of her children. V really didn't think of that, did he? From what I've read about Tiamat, she probably isn't going to care much about the fiends' long-term plans for evil. She could easily choose to just obliterate V, his family, and probably the entire hemisphere they're in just for good measure.

Really, irritating a chaotic evil goddess is just begging for it.

[Vargtass]

Dear me, Tiamat is mighty unhappy. Apparently she was immune to the familicide (which is probably the only reason any dragons are still alive at all anywhere in the world(s)) but I'd say she is still quite displeased at what just happened to a whole bunch of her children.

Familicide had a limited range of targets, killing an estimated fourth of the Black Dragon population. Nowhere were V near targeting all dragons, or Tiamat herself (not being a black dragon, but rather, you know, a goddess...)

[Mariel Dragon]

Hmm, reading the first page, I wonder why you'd think the yellow field would be the one with 3 minutes time only.
I read from the gestures that the violet fiend is the one with the least time. And looking through the archives, he was the one who provided Haerta, so that would make sense.

[DBear]

Well, it seems like the "cooldown" comics are "one-on-ones", we've got just Elan and Belkar left, though I can't imagine what they might have to say to each other. In fact, I don't know who Belkar has to say anything to (since Haley-- who does have something to say to him, but has already had her "turn" with Roy-- can't say anything to hm, since that would reveal that she knows his character development is fake). :.

Back in the early days of the comic, Elan and Belkar seemed to have a Beavis and Butthead relationship (the strip where they drew on Roy comes to mind). Or Elan could thank Belkar for not abandoning Haley.

[hollywoodb1]

I do not like the ponytail on V.

[M84]

Heyall,

Just curious - How would a typical Good-aligned cleric react to the news that one of his teammates made a deal with a triumvirate of infernal beings in order to add the power of three very evil spellcasters to his/her own, and the fact that he/she owes each of those beings favors?

M84

[Yoyoyo]

Great comic. I missed too.

Not to spoil anyone's theories, but isn't it possible that the Tiamat line is just a last panel joke and not the start of some uber problem for V? Aren't the fiends enough for her to deal with and isn't Xykon (and the Linear Guild, for that matter) and the Snarl enough for the Order to deal with? They hardly need a new big bad.

[HandofShadows]

Familicide had a limited range of targets, killing an estimated fourth of the Black Dragon population. Nowhere were V near targeting all dragons, or Tiamat herself (not being a black dragon, but rather, you know, a goddess...)

Actually the spell tatgeted the FAMILY of the Black Dragon. After all we see half dragons getting killed as well. It was teh relationships to mama dragon that decided if you where effected. That's also why V had to undead the mama dragon as she needed a "taget" for the spell to work.