OOTS #374 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

:mitd: New comic is up. Yay!

[Renegade Paladin]

Wow. That's one hell of a punch he's got there.

[The Orange Zergling]

Wow, he does suck at that game. Ah, good ol' person-shaped holes in walls... brings back memories of cartoons. Good comic, made me chuckle.

[Zaggab]

Ouch... The second last panel made me wince.

[RecurringDream]

Aw! I heart MITD. He just doesn't understand his own strength.

:redface::mitd:

[SirGalrim]

Not the best comic to end the week. But it was a great week with Ooots in All Rich.Thank you! :D One cannot but love the naivness of http://www.giantitp.com/forums/images/smilies/oots/mitd.gif :)

EDIT: Oooh. I spot two illegal posts!

[SDF]

At least she got out of the tower....

[TheBlueDragon]

Good comic as always (Not as great as last one, though.).
Gotta love MitD. (Always LOL at him/it/w-e.)
Apparently Miko is having a lot of bad luck lately. =(

As a side note, I always used to play that when I was younger. =P

[Death, your friend the Reaper]

The Monster in the Dark is obviously the true evil genius to this whole thing.

It is so clear now.

[The Giant]

Remember, mentioning what page/number/order you post in on this thread will get your entire post deleted without further warning. This has been board policy for several weeks.

[Dispozition]

Heh...That's great Rich. One of the funnier ones you've made so far.
Keep it up.

[TreesOfDeath]

Ma bad.

Anyway:
Hmmm Im almost disapaointed it came out like this, but then it obviously wasn't time to see the MITD and if the creature is what a good portion of the board think it is, Miko was hopelessly outmatched.
Is it dishonarble to agree to a game like this and try to cheat?
Was this supposed to be friendly contact or not?

[lord_khaine]

heh i must say that came as a bit of a surprise, i had not though the Creature was that strong.
stil, its a shorter walk back for Miko now :smallsmile:

[armatil]

haha! one of the best strips in a while now.

just, awesomeness. and MitD is my new fav NPC.

[Illirion]

Aw that was so cool! :smallbiggrin:

It's amazing how the vilians in this comic almost seem cooler/funnier/cuter than the heroes.

Go :mitd: Go!

[Sylian]

Wow, great strip! Heh, he sure is dangerous, isn't he?
Miko is abit aggressive, don't you think?

[Destro_Yersul]

That one made me laugh. Keep it up Rich! :cool:
:mitd:Awww, man! I lost twice. I suck.
Gotta love MitD.

[KIDS]

Haha, the MitD turned out to be more menacing than one would think. And Windstriker landing on Miko's face was awesome too!

[Helgraf]

Now that, my friends, is one heckuva strong hit.

Poor Miko. Thought she was going to suckerhit MitD, but took the lumping instead... and her pokehorse landed rather hard too.

She may be delayed a day getting back resummoning her mount if the horse took enough damage from the punch and fall to be knocked out/'killed'.

:xykon:

[iltharanos]

Best. Comic. Ever. Eat some of that you self-righteous pally.

[Bronzeevil]

Hehe. Nice one.

And something tells me V is going to have to use magic missile...

[Batman]

*snerk*

Ah, good ol' Falling Damage rules.

[Diabo]

great comic!! And I love the new comic schedule!!

[Destro_Yersul]

Hehe. Nice one.

And something tells me V is going to have to use magic missile...

V's player: I can cast any of these spells right?
DM: yeah, you can cast any of the first level ones.
V's player: I wanna cast "Magic Missile"
DM: you have to have something to attack.
V's player: I attack the DARKNESS!
Everyone: *laughs*

I had to say it. It was too perfect.:smallbiggrin:

[Neopolis]

That was hilarious. XD Finally we see the creature in the dark in action.

[Tamis]

Oh Gods!

This is a great one!

Windstriker landing on Miko was just too funny. :smallbiggrin:
:mitd: rules big time :smallsmile:

[faerwain]

Great timing..was just responding to the "give you money if MitD kills Miko" thread and this strip popped up. :belkar:

Though I'm not totally convinced that Miko is dead...especially because this would only lead Belkar to kill the oracle or one of his fellows....

But great work to make the final uncovering of the darkness more exciting (and anticipated). And Windstrikers surprised face at the fall was priceless.

[Neo]

Yeah, gotta love MitD. Having no idea what he is supposed to be or what he is capable of.

[Xilehxt]

Oh wow! MitD getting some action!. Makes me even wonder more about what it could be...

[Hydro]

Heheh, figured that would happen.

Actually, I thought critter-in-the-darkness was going to be incorporeal, but that would've been my second guess. Cute.

(My inner geek wants to concomplate how many hitpoints Miko must have for the wall to break and her not to; or worse, conclude that she must have exceeded the speed of sound-through-concrete to leave a Miko-shaped hole on the wall and wonder how many hp she'd need to survive that; but of course that was just cartoon convention ;))

[Esclados]

Interesting. So the monster in the dark actually isn't something pathetic.

[Pantler]

What did I say? What did I say? GO :mitd:!!!
Is there a group on this forum that cosists of its fans? I have to join it :smallbiggrin:

[Marller]

Now that, my friends, is one heckuva strong hit.

Poor Miko. Thought she was going to suckerhit MitD, but took the lumping instead... and her pokehorse landed rather hard too.

She may be delayed a day getting back resummoning her mount if the horse took enough damage from the punch and fall to be knocked out/'killed'.

:xykon:
That would depend on in which direction the MitD hit them. Maybe it saved them half the way. :mitd::wink:
EDIT: Just noticed, in the panel before Miko lands you can see a tiny figure.

[Closet_Skeleton]

Well, that's given Miko either a head start towards Azure city, put her right in Xyklon's path or got her lost in some mountains.

[Atheist_Cleric]

LOL. Oh god, I loved that. Miko finally getting a really good non-magical smackdown. Boy, that had to hurt. Punched through a stone wall, then fell from an incredible height so hard she shattered the ground she anded on, then hit but a good weight of horse. I'll be surprised if she isnt a little groggy, groggy, groggy, groggy etc. Wonder if she saw the MITD when he hit her? This was a surprise, it seems to me that the MITD's power might be beaten only by Xykons, Miko was able to rough up Redcloak pretty good, but her best flurry of attacks couldnt even wound the MITD. I've done some thinking, and I reckon the MITD is a Terrasque. If you think about it, a skittish, shy, silly apocalypse bringing monster with enough power to destroy almost anything would fit the OOTS world pretty well. Only flaw with that is that the Terrasque is pretty damn huge, and the MITD cant be that big, unless his magical darkness acts as a size dampener too, or something.

[Psiwave]

hmm, I can only think of a few things that size that could land a punch like that. Only one of them bares mentioning, the all feared plot-elemental.

[Grunjon]

Wow, earlier this week when I contemplated a Miko/CitD conversation (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1517022#post1517022), I knew it would be funny, but this was friggin' hilarious! I am struggling still not to laugh too loud thinking about it and wake up my son in the next room! http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/lachen/laughing-smiley-014.gif

Great stuff, Rich. AND you got Miko out of the room to go warn Azure City.

Wanna bet she bursts into Shojo's throne room with the warning at the same time the OotS pops in returning from Cliffport?

[fwiffo]

Wow, that is quite a punch. Nice to see Miko fall, and fall that far. She is not just a fallen paladin now, but a horse-landed-on-me fallen paladin.

[TreesOfDeath]

V's player: I can cast any of these spells right?
DM: yeah, you can cast any of the first level ones.
V's player: I wanna cast "Magic Missile"
DM: you have to have something to attack.
V's player: I attack the DARKNESS!
Everyone: *laughs*

I had to say it. It was too perfect.:smallbiggrin:


I could picture the monster in the dark asking if he could get drunk

[Badmofo]

Oh...My...God!

TMITD for the win! Zombies comeing up the hell right now! You ant got time to lay there all hurt! Cast CLW!

[Destro_Yersul]

I could picture the monster in the dark asking if he could get drunk

Yeah, I could see that too. Or asking if he can have a Mountain Dew.

[sun_tzu]

Holy freakamolly, that's the lightest it manages to hit?
I guess Xykon's continued implication of the creature's strength wasn't baseless.

[Chaingun]

That strip was so funny I thought I'd keel over laughing! Wow, I wonder if Miko or Windstriker are in any kind of shape now to warn Azure City? I doubt Miko is dead (cos dying from your horse landing on you at terminal velocity is a really punk death); but I'd say she's all tapped out of healing from all the combat she's been in today. Maybe she has a potion in reserve - oh wait, terminal velocity fall then having a horse land on you... not likely a potion would survive.

[battleburn]

I thought he would have to step out of the darkness if he wanted to attack.
How can you hit a creature it you can't see it.
For the sake of keeping him a secret I understand. But it really doesn't sound logical.
In this case the MitD was really trying to play the game. But I really would never trust someone trying to play that game with me. Not when that means allowing the other a free strike at me. You don't know at the beginning that he won't bash you as hard as he can.

But I give Rich this, I lolled at the third row, when she landed.
Keep them coming Giant. It's great.

-battleburn

[Winter_Wolf]

Guess the Twelve Gods never talked to Miko about instant karma. Imagine, trying to do something sneaky and underhanded to an innocent MitD. And really, I can only think of it as innocent or "special".

I'm guessing he only every played that game with his own kind before. Poor thing.

[B9anders]

That was a great strip. I was worried there would just be some silly dialogue and Miko would trick her way past :mitd:

Well, she got out, but in style! Great to finally see :mitd: in action. This strip alone kinda justifies him having tagged along for 300+ strips without seeing any action.

Thusly is the smack laid down. He really is a seriously evil badass.

PS. Anyone care to calculate how many hitpoints miko lost there?

[B9anders]

I thought he would have to step out of the darkness if he wanted to attack.
How can you hit a creature it you can't see it.
-battleburn

His attack was offpanel.

[Noneoyabizzness]

he has always been able to see out of the darkness

nice thing to finally revive My interest in what kinda hardcore srd beast he is

[Shular]

Ma bad.
Is it dishonarble to agree to a game like this and try to cheat?
Was this supposed to be friendly contact or not?

I don't think intentionally losing would really be considered cheating. Miko siad she'd play, she never said she'd try to win.

[Fingolfin]

Now this was a bit surprising to see, flying miko :) Nice dialogs as well in this issue,also mind-physical games :mitd: vs :miko: hehe

[Learnedguy]

So, was this the first time we've actually seen the thing in the dark fight?

[A_petrock]

now that makes me wonder how far he hit her and if she was knocked closer to the azure city.. or father away..

also you guys gotta understand Miko is of the more Lawfully inclined then she is Good.. almost as if she uses law to guide her actions and good as the excuse. the whole "ends justify means" idea. or for the greater good.. i mean she kills people on the quick... before she even knows if they are good or evil.


also liking the whole Miko solo adventure.. filling her out as a complete character is cool to me.. i like tangible 3D things.. well more how its 3D in my mind then on paper..

awesome work as always Rich

-pip

[VariaVespasa]

I believe so yes. And now its looking less good for our heroes... :)

[Eslington]

So, was this the first time we've actually seen the thing in the dark fight?Well, since we didn't see it fight, it'd be the zeroth time.

[Alfryd]

New comic is up. Yay!
Amusing.


Miko is abit aggressive, don't you think?
She did strike me as a tad trigger-happy here. This does not bode well...

Is it dishonarble to agree to a game like this and try to cheat?
Technically, yes, but it might be considered Chaotic rather than evil.

i mean she kills people on the quick... before she even knows if they are good or evil.
Nos. 6 and 7 in the Miko FRC.

Oddly enough, she was totally unscathed when she landed the first time...

[Gentlemaniac]

Ooh... I luvz it!

I'm beginning to wonder if the Giant really has decided what The Thing in the Darkness really is, or if he just decides what it can do as he goes along, focusing on its personality and potential jokes (sort of like he does with character traits). Will it ever be revealed? Will it turn out to be an actual monster from an official publication? I can't wait to find out.

[Solmage]

Ouch!! And DAMN, that thing is actually really powerful, whatever the hell it is.

[Doompuppy]

So, was this the first time we've actually seen the thing in the dark fight?

That wasn't a fight... that was playing.
When good ol' :mitd: is in a fight, I have a feeling it'd get a lot worse...

[Lemmingboy]

Yay! Go MitD!

[PhoenixRising]

WANTED:
One shadowy beasty. Known to have domestic tendencies, carries pink umbrella, last seen in company of skeleton, goblin in red cloak, and lots of hobgoblins. Considered extremely dangerous and should be approached with caution.


:xykon: :mitd: :redcloak:

500 shiny gold pieces, alive or... otherwise.

[Aiani]

MitD is cool cause he just doesn't seem to get that he is a bad guy. He sure does pack a punch but since he kinda helped Miko to get outside I suppose she won't mind too much.

[WarriorTribble]

Oh lordy, thank the gods for damage rules that ignore [insert law of science].

I like how Miko shows a small shred of regret for having (attempting) to kill the :mitd:. While I don't like her, it makes her seem a bit less two dimensional.

EDIT: Hope Miko isn't knocked out, causing her to not warn the city on time (oddly making the shadow do a much better evil deed then Xykon).

[Leo_Forestclaw]

While I don't list myself among the Miko haters, I enjoyed that strip waaaaaaaaay too much.

*smirk*

*snorkle*

*tee hee*

(yeah, I said "tee hee!" I ain't afreed.)

[Movoza]

guys, dont you see :mitd: has a probleM? how would this effect his social activitieS? the poor creature :(
even :miko: doesnt understand hiM. sorry, wrong thoughT. ofcourse :miko: doesnt understand hiM. :mitd: is a loving creature of good, while mikO is a bad bad persoN!

well, nice post anywayS! good to "see" mitD in actioN. btw, is :mitd: a he/she/it? ;)

[The Glitter Ninja]

The horse-shaped and Miko-shaped holes in the wall were comedy gold. I loved this strip too much.

[sklar dansig]

this whole comic brings some memories... good times :smallbiggrin:

[Lord Zentei]

She did strike me as a tad trigger-happy here. This does not bode well...

Er, did you guys miss her dialogue? :smallyuk:

First she introduces herself, after the monster asks her name.

Then when the monster tries to strike up a conversation, she asks it to step aside:

"I apologize, but I cannot be delayed. My mission is urgent and upon its swift success rests the fate of hundreds of thousands - indeed, millions - of innocent lives. Step aside."

Even apologizing for having to make that request. Damn good reason, she gives too, all things considered.

She only attacks it after it admits to working for Xykon.

But yeah, "trigger happy". Sure. :smallconfused:


MitD is cool cause he just doesn't seem to get that he is a bad guy. He sure does pack a punch but since he kinda helped Miko to get outside I suppose she won't mind too much.

I actually doubt that it is a "bad" guy. It just so happens that it was summoned by a couple of bad guys and doesn't know any better.

[chibibar]

hehehe.... wow MitD is REALLY powerful. I truly believe that he was trying to hit as lightest as possible (I mean he did play cards and stuff so it is possible to have a light touch) and still sends Miko out the window (I got a good laugh at that) and Windstalker landing on her...... classic!!! :)

Looks like if MitD gets angry... it can get pretty interesting considering round 1... Miko went flying..

She has NO chance of fighting it on hand to hand... I mean her "swishing" attack cause it to tickle?!!?! (when in the past it is almost instant death (aka bandit) or major damage like when she attack Roy)) of course I am putting into consideration of possible missing/damage reduction/dodging and such.. but still...

Miko wasn't gonna play around with this guy.. she use her multiattack and did practically 0 damage if any ;)

[Sebastian]

*snerk*

Ah, good ol' Falling Damage rules.

I'm more interested to the falling object rules, how much dice of damamge for a falling horse? (not that it matter, Miko obviously have levels in the DMPC prestige class, that have the class ability to bend and ignore rules when convenient.)

[lord_khaine]

the problem is even if Miko's 5 attacks each hit for a average of 12 points of damage, then it would be a nice total of 60 points of damage, enough to slice most people to ribbons.

but if the monster has a damage reduction of 10/somethingmikodonthave then it will only suffer some 10 points of damage, wich is hardly a scrach for something that strong, for all we know it might even have regeneration.

the thing to do in such a case is, as she was about to try, to take a 2handet grip on your weapon, power attack for it all and hope on a natural 20.

[Jacklu]

Ok, two things, first: now we have an idea about how strong the MITD is. I mean, he was trying to hit them lightly. Second: There was something innately pleasing about watching Miko being crushed by her horse. I just can't put my finger on it...

[Lord Zentei]

I'm more interested to the falling object rules, how much dice of damamge for a falling horse? (not that it matter, Miko obviously have levels in the DMPC prestige class, that have the class ability to bend and ignore rules when convenient.)

If so, then mostly all the major characters have levels in that prestige class.

It's not rules bending, its a joke. Because, you know, its not a game, but a comic that parodies one.

[Tomada]

I bow to you and your superior comic expertise. You must be the best comic writter there is.


And I REALLY think he tried to hit lightly. He is to innocent to lose on purpose

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Whooooooa, bab-ay!!! :smallbiggrin:

[Solmage]

I thought he would have to step out of the darkness if he wanted to attack.
How can you hit a creature it you can't see it.
For the sake of keeping him a secret I understand. But it really doesn't sound logical.


If the critter is surrounded by magical darkness, a sensible precaution on Xykon by the way, to cast it on the creature, then yes it can attack and be attacked while in it.



Holy freakamolly, that's the lightest it manages to hit? I guess Xykon's continued implication of the creature's strength wasn't baseless.

Heh, yeah, I always sort of assumed he'd be a bit of a pansy. But that was impressive. "We all know how powerful you are" indeed. Still, I have to wonder if that thing is actually evil and not simply chaotic neutral and misguided.

[Tomada]

Remember, mentioning what page/number/order you post in on this thread will get your entire post deleted without further warning. This has been board policy for several weeks.

And that's the SOLE reason I resumed posting in the comic thread.

Thank you very much.

One can not love MiTD enough. But... what about that light of the gods, thingy?

[Jarmo]

Remember, mentioning what page/number/order you post in on this thread will get your entire post deleted without further warning. This has been board policy for several weeks.

I had to register just to say thanks for that.
For the past year or so, I've jumped straight into page 3 and started reading from there.

[Tomada]

hah, MiTD is actually Pun-Pun! But Pun-Pun never got to actually making his intelligence infinit, just his strenght.

Ok, now this is SO silly it doesn't need a spoiler tag, or does it?

[Tajdi]

Is it just me or does this comic surpass awesome levels of awesomeness.

[DanMan]

Bwuhahahah! :thog:
that was great

[Tomada]

Is it just me or does this comic surpass awesome levels of awesomeness.

Yes it does.

And after surpassing the awesome levels od awesomeness, it creates a new level of awesomeness just to surpass that as well and create whole new other level and thus surpassing another level of awesomeness...

Giant really has comic expertise, augment joke, maximise funny and a hell lot of feats

[TheHawk]

I like the "I suck" that the MitD says. I think he really doesn't see himself as a bad guy

[Fillbert]

Wow... reminds me of a South Park episode... being "RoShamBo'ed" by the guy from The Cure.....

[Signmaker]

O.O

HOLY PALADIN! (and mount)

Tap-BOOM!

Pun Pun!

[Tomada]

We all know now Miko is a fallen paladin. :biggrin:


If I am correct the maximum falling damage is capped at 20d6, right?

A horse falling on your head after falling for a moutain worth of a height can make another 20d6 damage, right?

40d6 = 40min 240 max 140 mid.

That's a lot of damage with no cures in beetween

[The Glitter Ninja]

It's not just that Miko got smooshed by her horse, it's that she got smooshed by her horses' butt. That adds an extra level of win to the whole thing.

[melekashiro]

Eh... that was :mitd: lightest attack?!?

Damn!

[Spiky]

I believe they were on the ground floor of the watchtower, about to exit. So either it is on a cliff or the MitD hit them skyward first so that they fell that far. Ouch.

[Karn Dragonsbane]

I know you know this isn´t something worth to know, but if we´re talking about a thing that broke a wall with Miko...
Well, the strength DC to break a 1 ft. thick wall is 35. You get a +4 bonus per size cathegory, this thing´s at least Huge. That´s 27... And now, there are some abilities that stuff has, that make them better at breaking stuff. For example, there´s a feat that gives you a +8 bonus to strength checks to burst stuff. It´s not even psionic! That´s 19. Minimum strength for that thing, assuming it´s made for mass destruction of walls, and that it TRULY rolled a 1 willingly: ((19-1) x 2) +10 = 46 strength. Well, okay. It´s strong.
As for Miko... If she´s using a katana and a wakizashi, DR 15 is enough to shake-shake shake off anything she can dish. And even CR 13 iron golems have DR 15/something.

[Kodoz]

Okay, I absolutely loved this comic. Especially the fact about not only seeing the Miko and windstriker holes in the wall, but the thing that made me laugh aloud was that thier holes in the wall actually have hair holes. Miko was hit SO hard her HAIR punched through the wall in its original shape *laughs* Great homage to so many cartoons

[Lord Zentei]

We all know now Miko is a fallen paladin. :biggrin:

Ow. Punnery :smallbiggrin:


If I am correct the maximum falling damage is capped at 20d6, right?

By the book, yes.


A horse falling on your head after falling for a moutain worth of a height can make another 20d6 damage, right?

40d6 = 40min 240 max 140 mid.

That's a lot of damage with no cures in beetween

Paladins have d10 type hit dice. A 20th level paladin with CON:18 (bonus:+4) would have:

min: 100 hp.
mid: 190 hp.
max: 280 hp.

No idea what level she is or what her CON bonus is, but in principle, D&D allows for being tossed for miles and then being smacked by your own horse. And they say Warner Bros. cartoons are unrealistic. :smallbiggrin:

[Fillbert]

It's not just that Miko got smooshed by her horse, it's that she got smooshed by her horses' butt. That adds an extra level of win to the whole thing.


HA!!!! I just noticed that.... how appropriate.... a horse's butt got a face full of horse's butt..... =)

[Tass]

Wow the "what about me, master? Let me smash the hated Order of the Stick for you." Makes a bit more sense now.

[rosebud]

Huh. Had to read the comic three times to figure out the nuances. I was wondering how the holes were not complete and then finally realized that the second color in the background were mountains. That they flew over.

As always, :mitd: a cute one. He didn't seem to make any food references, though. And, now, poor thing. He's all alone.

[Fillbert]

Hmmm... what happens to a paladin :miko: when their entire perspective of good :roy: and evil :xykon: gets turned on it's head... or at least they come to realize that good comes in many flavors. I see more falling for the fallen paladin. :miko:

[Tomada]

Hmmm... what happens to a paladin :miko: when their entire perspective of good :roy: and evil :xykon: gets turned on it's head... or at least they come to realize that good comes in many flavors. I see more falling for the fallen paladin. :miko:

She alerady fell... a great distance by the way...



And since Miko should be around 16th level. She probably is pretty hurt by now. And I hope she forgot to get some cure wands/potions/whatever...

And that windstrider doesn't have as many hit points as she does.


EDIT: I'm sorry belkar, I do hope windstridr survives this...

[Solmage]

I had to register just to say thanks for that.
For the past year or so, I've jumped straight into page 3 and started reading from there.

As a counterpoint, that's the one thing that nearly made me stop posting to begin with. Such a harmless little piece of entertainment suddenly verboten because a few folks took the stick up the rear feat.

[Morchaint]

wow good comic.

ouch... I think miko should definately be needing a um.. cleric at this point regardless of lay on hands or not. strike that multiple head wound = house of clerics. or whatever passes for a hospitial.

keep in mind I still dont like miko much. but WOW that punch.. and at his lightest hit?!!!!

[Kadasbrass]

Well there went my Will-o-wisp theory... So anyone up for a game of Pallyball? Toss the ol' Holyskin around (figured Miko fans would take offense to any type pigskin comment)...

[Tomada]

As a counterpoint, that's the one thing that nearly made me stop posting to begin with. Such a harmless little piece of entertainment suddenly verboten because a few folks took the stick up the rear feat.

Hey! That's not feat, that's a flaw! A got free bonus feat for that! :smalltongue:

XD

Let's not argue about anything here, shall we? :biggrin:

[Morchaint]

HA!!!! I just noticed that.... how appropriate.... a horse's butt got a face full of horse's butt..... =)


very nice. and no I didnt even think of it LOL

[Myatar_Panwar]

Ahhhhh, so we begin to understand the power of :mitd:

[Frozen_Northman]

:mitd: Awww, man! Who am I gonna play games with now?
:thog: game? thog loves games!
:mitd: Seriously? Awesome! But not the "Who can hit the lightest game." I totally suck at that.
:thog: thog feel dark-thingie's pain. thog suck at dealing low damage, too. thog prefer to play Candyland!
:mitd: Really? Wow! I haven't seen the majesty of the Gumdrop Mountains in ages!
:thog: (*sniff*) thog sheds a tear at finding kindred spirit!

[fithi]

*chuckle* I am loving :mitd: even more now.

I've been really enjoying this storyline, it makes a refreshing change from previous strips.

Don't get me wrong, I love OotS, but I found that lately the storyline has been dragging. With this current plot and the return of :miko: and :mitd: I've been enjoying it once again.

Great job!

[Miklus]

The :mitd: fanclub is hereby officially open! Anyone may join and feel free to make up your own titles within the club. I name myself "Junior Vice President for Communications and Administrative Affairs"!

I am so glad :mitd: did not turn out to be some weak joke-monster. And I think we can safely assume it is NOT in the manual!

[battleburn]

Miko never actually did detect evil on the monster.
I bet it is chaotic neutral

[MonkeyHead]

LOL

I used to play that game on the school bus and lose on purpose. Anyone else? That is the joke.

You let the other person go first and then you hit them hard and say "oh man, you win!".

The wall image was pretty good as well.

[Faramir]

Aww, poor creature in darkness. He can't win at anything :(.

I love the way Rich gave the "we want Miko to fall" contingent exactly what they were asking for. Not what they wanted, but what they were asking for.

[Alchemistmerlin]

:miko: needs to be smacked around more often.

It makes the sun shine brighter.

[LordOfNarf]

WOW! Finally a measurement of the :mitd: power. To completey pwn Miko, who completely pwned the order, I'd say azure city is satisfactorally skrewed.

[Tomada]

:miko: needs to be smacked around more often.

It makes the sun shine brighter.

For a few moments she just blocked the rays of sunlight for anyone looking up, you know!

[geez3r]

The MITD is a bit like thog. Where thog lacks INT, MITD lacks WIS ("What gate?"), however, they apparently both have a high STR score. All the better to beat Miko with.

Nice comic.

[Starwoad]

Rich, that's awesome that you do these for free.

MitD might not have damage reduction, just billions and billions of hit dice.

What's happening to Eeeeellaaaaan?

[dcviana]

I was just thinking:

- Miko beats entire OotS alone
- MitD beats Miko (with style)
- :eek: Ow crap, poor OotS

[Blood]

I was just thinking:

- Miko beats entire OotS alone
- MitD beats Miko (with style)
- :eek: Ow crap, poor OotS
Same here. :smalleek:

Wow, he totally sucks at that game! :smallbiggrin: I would totally beat him, if he didn't accidentally kill me first...

I just knew it. Right from the beginning, I thought he would be something very powerful, but just personally very childish.

[Shatteredtower]

I thought it was a nice touch that Miko's first thought after landing was for the safety of her horse. Thousands or even millions of lives at stake and her first thought is for her one constant companion.

And no, I do not consider that a strike against her.

[kclemaster]

Roflmao!!!

[grinner666]

V's player: I can cast any of these spells right?
DM: yeah, you can cast any of the first level ones.
V's player: I wanna cast "Magic Missile"
DM: you have to have something to attack.
V's player: I attack the DARKNESS!
Everyone: *laughs*

I had to say it. It was too perfect.:smallbiggrin:

Uhhh ... we can all see MitD's eyes ... that's enough. There's no rules on how much of a target you have to be able to see ...

:tongue:

[Mighty Fedora]

Oh...My...God!

TMITD for the win! Zombies comeing up the hell right now! You ant got time to lay there all hurt! Cast CLW!

:smallbiggrin: good work man!

I didnt even notice the horse falling on Miko's head untill someone mentioned it. i really enjoyed the Miko week we just had.

[Mr_Saturn]

Finally, a game i would like to lose in too!

[Nashua]

I really liked the way the whispering was done in a lighter shade and with the dash lines instead of a solid speech box. I suppose Rich has done it before for whispering, but I didn't notice it until just now. I think agreeing to play with the MitD was one of those cases (yet again) of Miko being too clever for her own good...a lot like Roy, sometimes.

[Dawnstrider_Moogle]

Uh oh, how much damage does a horse to the skull do? =/

[Solara]

That was hilarious! :biggrin:

Okay, sure, I was really, really hoping we'd finally get to see the MitD, but at least we know what he's capable of now, with his lightest hit, at that.

Miko will probably assume he lied to her and dishonorably hit her as hard as he could, but whatever. All the warm fuzzy feelings I started to have for her in the last strip are gone now after that trick she tried to pull on an 'evil' creature that's obviously gullible and naive enough to mistake a paladin trying to slice him to pieces as a friendly game.

All in all a fantastic comic, and I can't wait to see where she landed...really my only complaint is the dialogue in the third panel, seemed a little convoluted.

[ozmar]

Oh snap! This comic'll give all you :miko:-haters something to smile at! Windstriker's butt landed right on her face!

As to why she's still alive, well its clear she has the Hardheaded feat. That gives DR 30/- to any damage dealt to her head, and makes her impervious to reason. So she's lucky Windstriker landed on her face.

Ozmar the Amused

[eilandesq]

LOL. I'm wondering if Rich momentarily switched the "world rules" to 3rd or 4th edition Champions--I remember running up against a few characters in that game that had attacks with double-stacked "double knockback" attacks that didn't do much initial damage but could blow an unsuspecting hero back a loooong way.

Also, I'm thinking that if Azure City survives this crisis, they might want to build guardtowers with sturdier front doors and walls. :amused:

Miko's tough--I can actually imagine her surviving all of that. . .barely. Windstriker, on the other hand, is probably heading back to the Celestial Realms by the express route. Miko may have to hoof it while badly wounded from here on in.

[Pvednes]

Hahahahahah!

Miko wins!

[Yellow]

LOOKS LIKE MIKO'S BLASTING OFF AGAIIiiiiiiinnnnnnnn-

*ting*

[Aerysil]

Holy titanic strength, Batman...

[Grungydan]

I love the MITD. Good stuff. :)

I wish I could say the same for seeing Miko in storylines again though. Blechh...

[Max_Sinister]

Fortunately for Miko, she lives in the world of D&D, and not a "realistic" one. Take that, GURPSers! ;-)

But our question "What on Earth IS the MitD?!" is still not answered... alkthough its great strength should help us in narrowing it down...

[Malekith]

lol, funny, it was ESPECIALLY good because miko and her god damn horse got thrashed

[dwagiebard]

Did anyone see the little spot in the panel before Miko lands? I think she might have gone over the mountains.

[Klingon_in_the_Playground]

Yeah, it does look like she went over the mountains. Man what a punch. The scary thing is that I'm beginning to like her. She's a bit narrow minded (a bit, he says), but she's fun.

[theKOT]

Well, that was kind of lame. The "game" thing feels like the Giant backed himself into a storytelling corner and couldn't think of a good way out of it. I sort of liked the horse landing on her face though. The jokes were alright, but this comic lacked inspiration. 5/10

Did anybody else notice that Miko's hair broke through the wall? How long has it been since she bathed?

[Sergeantbrother]

Oh wow, that was great.

I'm a Miko hater and was hoping that Xykon would kill Miko, but this strip made he glad that she survived. It is worth it just to see the horse land on her head :)

[Eldhrin]

Wonderful! Quite impressive to contemplate that the :mitd: can sustain an all-out attack by Miko and just say "that tickles".

[SwordofKrynn]

I respectfully disagree that this comic was a way to back out of a storytelling corner. The soft hitting game is a pretty common game among children, and is usually played as a prank exactly as Miko was going to, where the first person taps lightly and the second person slugs them and says "You win!"

I think this was a way for Rich to demonstrate that the MitD is very young and immature. He's not even really evil, he just hangs out with the wrong crowd.

[theKOT]

I respectfully disagree that this comic was a way to back out of a storytelling corner. The soft hitting game is a pretty common game among children, and is usually played as a prank exactly as Miko was going to, where the first person taps lightly and the second person slugs them and says "You win!"

I think this was a way for Rich to demonstrate that the MitD is very young and immature. He's not even really evil, he just hangs out with the wrong crowd.
Still felt anticlimactic and was a bit of a let down. Meh.

[Solara]

Er, did you guys miss her dialogue? :smallyuk:

First she introduces herself, after the monster asks her name.

Then when the monster tries to strike up a conversation, she asks it to step aside:

"I apologize, but I cannot be delayed. My mission is urgent and upon its swift success rests the fate of hundreds of thousands - indeed, millions - of innocent lives. Step aside."

Even apologizing for having to make that request. Damn good reason, she gives too, all things considered.

She only attacks it after it admits to working for Xykon.

But yeah, "trigger happy". Sure. :smallconfused:



I actually doubt that it is a "bad" guy. It just so happens that it was summoned by a couple of bad guys and doesn't know any better.

L.O.L.! This was almost funnier than the strip.

Lord Zentai, I think it's safe to say you are now the most fanatical and obsessive Miko fanboy on the forum. I mean, when it gets to the point where you're chastising Alfryd for not being devoted enough...

Alfryd, I'm sorry man, but he has stolen your straight jack--er, crown. I meant to say crown.

[Mirage_of_Deceit]

Wow thats about 3 critical hits in a row go MitD :D

[Sebastian]

Guess the Twelve Gods never talked to Miko about instant karma. Imagine, trying to do something sneaky and underhanded to an innocent MitD. And really, I can only think of it as innocent or "special".


I even thought that she would have killed the MitD and fall for it, because he wasn't evil and never threatened her or anything. :D

After all when we ever see the MitD do or say something evil?

[Tach13]

Man Rich knows how to make hilarious Lackeys. Thog, MITD, the roaches, how can you beat them? Checking these comics is a highlight to any day.

[Gryndel]

Lest we forget, the MitD is Xykon's minion and called the lich master.

Just a growing young creature that's kept in the dark, unaware of its own strength in relation to even powerful mortals, yet winning the hearts of OOTS fans in droves.

Maybe MitD cheated and didn't hit Miko as light as possible?

Good to see Miko get the smacking she deserves though.

[BlythraB]

Anyone else worried about the sheer POWER of the creature in the darkness? I mean, we knew it was supposed to be powerful, but wow. I'm suddenly verrrry nervous.

[Solara]

Anyone else worried about the sheer POWER of the creature in the darkness? I mean, we knew it was supposed to be powerful, but wow. I'm suddenly verrrry nervous.

Not really worried. If Roy had been in that situation, he would have talked to it (or at least let it finish its sentence) before attacking and probably won the poor lonely thing over to a state of puppy-like devotion.

The MitD is just not giving off 'evil' vibes to me, and if any of the more level-headed PCs get a chance to talk to it I think they'd have a new ally.

So if anything Xykon should be the one you're nervous for, or maybe Miko...but then again if she allowed him to get a word edgewise, the next time they met he'd probably congratulate her for winning and ask her to be his friend.

Then she'd probably call him and evildoer and try to smite him.

[theKOT]

L.O.L.! This was almost funnier than the strip.

Lord Zentai, I think it's safe to say you are now the most fanatical and obsessive Miko fanboy on the forum. I mean, when it gets to the point where you're chastising Alfryd for not being devoted enough...

Alfryd, I'm sorry man, but he has stolen your straight jack--er, crown. I meant to say crown.
Hey! I chastized Alfryd for lack of devotion too! I kicked him out of the fanclub for crying out loud! Where's my recognition? It's the only thing that fills the loneliness! Okay, that and thinmints.

[B9anders]

No idea what level she is or what her CON bonus is, but in principle, D&D allows for being tossed for miles and then being smacked by your own horse. And they say Warner Bros. cartoons are unrealistic. :smallbiggrin:

Believe it or not, in real life one person is recorded to have been shot down, jumped without a parachute from 3 miles and landed with nothing more than a few scraps (albeit in the artic, the snow probably allievated his fall).

There are several recorded incidents of people falling from 1-2 miles with only minor injuries, although usually there would be something to alleviate the fall such as crashing through a roof or similar before hitting the ground.

[B9anders]

Fortunately for Miko, she lives in the world of D&D, and not a "realistic" one. Take that, GURPSers! ;-)

But our question "What on Earth IS the MitD?!" is still not answered... alkthough its great strength should help us in narrowing it down...

See post just above.:smallwink:

rgds
A dedicated GURPSer

[TinSoldier]

I'm going to have a hard time rating this one. It was necessary but not one of my favorites. I did like it, though.

Now after reading 5 pages of comments, I must make some observations:

I got the feeling the MitD understands the "Who can hit the lightest" game very well. I'm sure he has played it (and lost) many times before. So this comic makes him seem smarter and more menacing to me than he has in the past. Still a little childlike, but I have no doubts that he knows he's an evil bad guy.

I don't think that Miko, with her stunted social understanding, had ever played the game before. But she was smart enough to figure out the real way to play the game anyway.

The reason that Miko attacked MitD and also tried to not-win the game was because she is in a hurry to warn Azure City and doesn't want to be slowed down or stopped by something that was plainly put there to hinder her. She has to look to the greater good after all.

Now, of course, if she is still conscious she is away from the tower and the army and everything.

Wake up, Miko! Wake up!

[Felinoid]

:mitd: Awww, man! Who am I gonna play games with now?
:thog: game? thog loves games!
:mitd: Seriously? Awesome! But not the "Who can hit the lightest game." I totally suck at that.
:thog: thog feel dark-thingie's pain. thog suck at dealing low damage, too. thog prefer to play Candyland!
:mitd: Really? Wow! I haven't seen the majesty of the Gumdrop Mountains in ages!
:thog: (*sniff*) thog sheds a tear at finding kindred spirit!
You, go offer your writing services to Rich right now. :tongue:


L.O.L.! This was almost funnier than the strip.

Lord Zentai, I think it's safe to say you are now the most fanatical and obsessive Miko fanboy on the forum. I mean, when it gets to the point where you're chastising Alfryd for not being devoted enough...

Alfryd, I'm sorry man, but he has stolen your straight jack--er, crown. I meant to say crown.
You, relax a little on the "sides" issue. :smallwink: As much as I love to hate Miko, I was going to say the same thing as Zentei until I saw his post. (Although I do otherwise agree with you on him being the most fanatical Miko defender. :smallbiggrin: )


:mitd: New comic is up. Yay!
You, keep up the good work. :biggrin:

I'm debating whether to give this a spot in my top ten, but realistically it probably won't even make it to honorable mentions. It was a great strip, with good MitD jokes, and Miko getting her ass (and her horse's XD ) handed to her are great, but the pure awesome of other strips plus having 374 to pick from make it a tight race. :smallamused:

Speaking of which, there are two things to say on her landing:
1. I can only hope that the cranial trauma knocks some sense into her (though I doubt it for plot reasons).
2. The paladin has fallen. :smallannoyed: If that was an intentional bad pun by the Giant, I'm not sure whether to stab him in the face or offer him honorary membership in my family (we are the best-worst punsters EVER). :smallyuk: It's a bit of a toss-up which is the worse fate...

[SwordofKrynn]

I got the feeling the MitD understands the "Who can hit the lightest" game very well. I'm sure he has played it (and lost) many times before. So this comic makes him seem smarter and more menacing to me than he has in the past. Still a little childlike, but I have no doubts that he knows he's an evil bad guy.


I think this depends on how you read the "I lost again. I suck!" line. I read it as an truthful expression with true sadness that he was so bad at the game. This makes him, to me, to have true childlike innocence.

I can see, though, where someone else could read it as a sarcastic statement, which would make him more intentionally menacing.

Personally, I think it's funnier that he doesn't know he's supposed to be evil, and is confused by what happens around him.

[Grim Greyscale]

I think this depends on how you read the "I lost again. I suck!" line. I read it as an truthful expression with true sadness that he was so bad at the game. This makes him, to me, to have true childlike innocence.

I can see, though, where someone else could read it as a sarcastic statement, which would make him more intentionally menacing.

Personally, I think it's funnier that he doesn't know he's supposed to be evil, and is confused by what happens around him.

Look at his eyebrows, they sure look like showing sadness to me. He's used that expression before...

[Mirage_of_Deceit]

Perhaps he is a young Tarrasque

[SwordofKrynn]

Perhaps he is a young Tarrasque

This idea has just enough impossiblity to it to fit perfectly with the OotS universe.

[Gryndel]

A Tarrasque toddler, yeah!

[Solara]

The reason that Miko attacked MitD and also tried to not-win the game was because she is in a hurry to warn Azure City and doesn't want to be slowed down or stopped by something that was plainly put there to hinder her. She has to look to the greater good after all.


Why didn't she just...go to Azure City, then? It didn't look to me like he was trying too hard to stop her. I realize she probably thought he was, since jumping to conclusions and assuming the worst about everyone seems to be one of her main character flaws, but still, a two minute conversation would likely have been all it would have taken to avoid the fight and the game and getting knocked to who knows where off in the mountains somewhere.

[TinSoldier]

:mitd: "It's kinda awkward, though, since Xykon said I wasn't supposed to let you--"

Maybe a bit hasty on Miko's part, but I never said she wasn't impatient.

[Sebastian]

The reason that Miko attacked MitD and also tried to not-win the game was because she is in a hurry to warn Azure City and doesn't want to be slowed down or stopped by something that was plainly put there to hinder her. She has to look to the greater good after all.


Exactly. Why try to talk her way out when killing is so much fun... I mean faster.
Actually I had a thought what if the MitD is actually a good, if naive, monster and Xykon keep him in the darkness only because looking at him have an harmful effect on evil creatures and/or undead? I think there are a couple creatures like it.

[TinSoldier]

Look at his eyebrows, they sure look like showing sadness to me. He's used that expression before...While I still like my theory, this makes more sense.

Oh, well.

[Terraxos]

Just posting here to comment on how much I've enjoyed this week's worth of strips. Xykon and the rest of the bad guys are always huge fun to see, and we got to see a little more depth to Miko as well - finally getting to see how she acts when the OOTS aren't around. Admittedly some of the writing was a little forced, but once Miko was in the same room as the bad guys it would always be hard to find a way of getting her out of there alive. I'm quite happy with the solution - this strip was particularly funny. Gotta love the MITD.

I now look forward to seeing Miko return to Azure City and, presumably, meet up with the OOTS once again. That should make for a memorable confrontation...

As an aside, on the MITD's alignment: it's quite possible that it isn't evil at all, and is simply a good or (more likely) neutral creature that does Xykon's bidding because it doesn't know any better. It certainly does seem to have a tendency towards childlike misunderstanding. OTOH, that doesn't in any way stop it from being evil; for example, Thog shares the MITD's 'cute and innocent' qualities, but no one would doubt that he is evil. The jury is still out on this one.

[Signmaker]

Heh, her swords are still in the room somewhere, I see no katana shaped hole.

[gooddragon1]

The tarrasque is 70 feet long and 50 feet tall, and it weighs about 130 tons.

The tarrasque cannot speak.
srry, it's most likely not a tarrasque.

[krossbow]

Ghahaha! Great comic. Seriously awsome punchline.

"Aw man, I lost twice! I suck!" :smallbiggrin:

I can just imagine a horribly insecure kid voice saying that too.

Miko was awsome too in this comic. Heh, those two work well together.

[Grey Knight]

All you people claiming Miko should fall for things like smiting a self-confessed member of Xykon's forces, getting angry when it looks like the PCs tricked her, or flossing her teeth in the morning, have obviously never heard the Legend of Neil (http://community.livejournal.com/shinyshinyelves/14941.html). Think of "Belkar the Paladin" and you'll be on the right track.

EDIT: I linked to his first appearance; he does a bit of torture-threatening, but you'll have to read on a bit to get to the really... creative... interpretations of the Paladin's Code.

[Shanatica]

Awww I love the MitD. He's so cute *s*

[Renegade Paladin]

L.O.L.! This was almost funnier than the strip.

Lord Zentai, I think it's safe to say you are now the most fanatical and obsessive Miko fanboy on the forum. I mean, when it gets to the point where you're chastising Alfryd for not being devoted enough...

Alfryd, I'm sorry man, but he has stolen your straight jack--er, crown. I meant to say crown.
That's ridiculous. Trigger happy would have been attacking on sight; she had a conversation with the thing and didn't attack until it not only admitted to working for Xykon, but said that it would not let her pass. That is not trigger happy in any sense of the term, and you don't have to be a fanboy to see that.

[Lord Zentei]

L.O.L.! This was almost funnier than the strip.

Lord Zentai, I think it's safe to say you are now the most fanatical and obsessive Miko fanboy on the forum. I mean, when it gets to the point where you're chastising Alfryd for not being devoted enough...

Alfryd, I'm sorry man, but he has stolen your straight jack--er, crown. I meant to say crown.

Don't be a tool. I'm neither pro or anti anyone, at least not in the manner you seem to be implying: I'm merely anti bollocks.

Arguing that someone is trigger happy when they attack someone after they give fair warning is bollocks, whether you like the character or not. It just so happens that I have joined the forums when people are leaning on Miko; had some other character or indeed, any other aspect of the comic been challenged with nonsense arguments, I would have been leaning on them instead.


And for goodness sakes try and spell my username right. Why does everyone get it wrong? :smallconfused:


Believe it or not, in real life one person is recorded to have been shot down, jumped without a parachute from 3 miles and landed with nothing more than a few scraps (albeit in the artic, the snow probably allievated his fall).

There are several recorded incidents of people falling from 1-2 miles with only minor injuries, although usually there would be something to alleviate the fall such as crashing through a roof or similar before hitting the ground.

Yes, I have in fact heard of them, though I doubt they landed head first on rock hard enough for said rock to break, and then had a horse land on their heads. :smallwink:

[Solara]

Okay, so I've read the strip for what is probably the sixth time now, and I'm still not seeing where the MitD said he wasn't going to let her pass...unless you guys are making some kind of assumption about how he was going to end that otherwise amiable and perfectly friendly sentence? You know, the one she attacked him in the middle of? Yeah, that's fair warning all right.

[TinSoldier]

It was implied. I quoted :mitd: up above; it is likely that he would have followed through on preventing her from leaving.

However since she was impatient we may never know for sure. I could see Roy behaving in a similar fashion though.


:mitd: "It's kinda awkward, though, since Xykon said I wasn't supposed to let you--"

Maybe a bit hasty on Miko's part, but I never said she wasn't impatient.

[Lord Zentei]

Okay, so I've read the strip for what is probably the sixth time now, and I'm still not seeing where the MitD said he wasn't going to let her pass...unless you guys are making some kind of assumption about how he was going to end that otherwise amiable and perfectly friendly sentence? You know, the one she attacked him in the middle of? Yeah, that's fair warning all right.

It is: she asked him to let her pass, he said, well that's kind of akward, but Xykon said I couldn't...

From that, she learns that 1) it works for Xykon, 2) its there to keep her from leaving. Add 3) she really has damn good reason to be in a hurry.

It's the fact that we know and love the MitD from before that we are aware of the fact that it is in fact not neccesarily as malevolant as it is meant to be.

[TinSoldier]

It's the fact that we know and love the MitD from before that we are aware of the fact that it is in fact not neccesarily as malevolant as it is meant to be.And just to add on, Miko doesn't know that, and Diplomacy is not her strongest skill...

[mikeejimbo]

The :mitd: is my third favorite character, I think.

[Lord Zentei]

And just to add on, Miko doesn't know that, and Diplomacy is not her strongest skill...

Yarr. That be me point matey.

Except for the Diplomacy skill bit. Good catch that.

One would think that Shojo's #1 paladin would spend some ranks in that skill, but then, this is the comic where the main hero-party hired a tracker with no ranks in tracking. :smallbiggrin:

[Itdano]

I truly feel for the MiTD. I lose at that game all the time, too.

[Itdano]

Okay, so I've read the strip for what is probably the sixth time now, and I'm still not seeing where the MitD said he wasn't going to let her pass...unless you guys are making some kind of assumption about how he was going to end that otherwise amiable and perfectly friendly sentence? You know, the one she attacked him in the middle of? Yeah, that's fair warning all right.

He didn't quite come right out and say, "Thou shalt not pass!" But, he did imply, pretty heavily, that his purpose there was to stop her leaving, though he also seemed to find that duty to be somewhat onerous.

[Shea Landford]

WooT! Awesome comic. Man, I suck at that game. Lolz.

[Tibor]

So much for my theory that MitD is a awakened chipmunk. LOL

[Piedmon_Sama]

LOOKS LIKE MIKO'S BLASTING OFF AGAIIiiiiiiinnnnnnnn-

*ting*

Congratulations on winning the thread. XD

[Solara]

I'll agree that the things we know about the MitD might be coloring my perception a little, but still, IMHO there are still all kinds of things wrong with the little encounted they had.

First of all, "What's your name?" followed by, "Neat! It must be hard to fit all that on your business cards though." is not what I'd call hostile. Neither is "Cool." for that matter.

"It's kinda awkward, though, since Xykon said I wasn't supposed to let you--"

Is not the same thing as, "You SHALL NOT PASS!!!", even if you're a paladin named Miko.

And I know things like reading tone of voice into text are pretty subjective, but given what we know of the MitD the first half seems a little reluctant, almost apologetic, and the second half, very likely delivered in the same tone, implies that it's not him that wants to keep her there. He actually sounds like someone who could be easily swayed and wouldn't need much convincing at all.

Okay, granted, the mention of Xykon would be enough to get somebody's guard up, but it hardly justifies going from 'casual conversation' to 'violent attack' in half a second. So yes, I do think her reaction could definitely be referred to as slightly trigger happy.

And then even after her generally devastating attacks do no damage, instead of wondering if she's gotten in over her head or if a graceful retreat might be in order, (let alone feeling any sort of relief that the monster's apparently too clueless and naive to recognize that being being called an enemy and slashed at with a sword is a hostile act), she tries to work in another unexpected an uncalled for attack?

Miko's usually pretty smart when it comes to combat...this was not one of her better moments.

[warmachine]

Accepting a challange whilst intending to violate the terms of that challange is intending dishonourable behaviour, which would be a violation of the paladin code of honour. Miko won't lose her paladin abilities as she hadn't actually acted dishonourbly. If her turn was first, she would have hit as hard as possible, not as lightly as possible, violating the challange she accepted.

The twelve gods had better give Miko a stern warning.

[Lord Zentei]

Okay, granted, the mention of Xykon would be enough to get somebody's guard up, but it hardly justifies going from 'casual conversation' to 'violent attack' in half a second. So yes, I do think her reaction could definitely be referred to as slightly trigger happy.

Hasty and hotheaded, perhaps; trigger happy, not so much. Keep in mind that she has already concluded that the OOTS have deceived her about being good guys and that they are working for Xykon - quite unreasonably, of course, but simply appearing "nice" doesn't cut it - especially, since why should Xykon be reasonably be expected to leave a genuinely "nice" monster behind?

Try putting youself in her shoes: she was put in a forcecage and told she would be killed and raised as an undead by a lich sorcerer and the "bearer of the Crimson Mantle" who are after the Gate that will bring universal armageddon. She beleives she has already been deceived by "nice" seeming people who she (wrongly) thinks are working for aforementioned villains. She is in a great hurry to reach her city and warn it. Enter MitD.


And then even after her generally devastating attacks do no damage, instead of wondering if she's gotten in over her head or if a graceful retreat might be in order, (let alone feeling any sort of relief that the monster's apparently too clueless and naive to recognize that being being called an enemy and slashed at with a sword is a hostile act), she tries to work in another unexpected an uncalled for attack?

Again, hotheaded. In any case, if the MitD were competent as well as working for Xykon, would she be able to get away from it to foil Xykons plans? Is it reasonable to expect that one could do so?


Miko's usually pretty smart when it comes to combat...this was not one of her better moments.

That much is true enough, though it relied on her known weakness as being a hothead, at least. Moreover it reinforced the MitD's character, told us much about its power, allowed Miko to escape anyway, and was humerous.

From a storytelling perspective I have no complaints.

[Krytha]

If Miko had taken 3.5 more seconds to listen to MitD, she probably could have weaseled him into giving her a RIDE back to Azure City... But no, she decides to take the dramatic exit.

[theKOT]

Accepting a challange whilst intending to violate the terms of that challange is intending dishonourable behaviour, which would be a violation of the paladin code of honour. Miko won't lose her paladin abilities as she hadn't actually acted dishonourbly. If her turn was first, she would have hit as hard as possible, not as lightly as possible, violating the challange she accepted.

The twelve gods had better give Miko a stern warning.
I really hope that last part was sarcasm.

As to the first, She accepted no rules. She simply intended not to aim for the game's objective. Besides, it takes an alignment change from lawful in order to fall, not one chaotic act. Meh.

[turn.self.off]

hmm, thinking about miko just reminded me of a barbarian comic i used to read.

anyone here heard of groo the barbarian?

[Lord Zentei]

hmm, thinking about miko just reminded me of a barbarian comic i used to read.

anyone here heard of groo the barbarian?

Oh, yes indeed.:smallwink:

[TinSoldier]

hmm, thinking about miko just reminded me of a barbarian comic i used to read.

anyone here heard of groo the barbarian?Most certainly.

[the_tick_rules]

Hmm Miko must have magical weapons so what DR does the monster have? He also apparently extremely strong. Maybe a undead with slashing resistance, or an high-class outisder that requires a specific metal or something? The possibilties continue to tantalize me, as I'm sure is it's intention.

[Trobby]

LOOKS LIKE MIKO'S BLASTING OFF AGAIIiiiiiiinnnnnnnn-

*ting*

Of course..it all makes sense now! The off-balance sense of good and evil...her summoning Pokemon...unreasonable hatred for Progatonists...

Miko's the first ever member of Team Rocket!

*Slapped*

<.<; Sorry. What I mean to say was, "Great Comic Rich. Poor Miko. Yay mitd!"

[Grey Knight]

I really liked the way the whispering was done in a lighter shade and with the dash lines instead of a solid speech box. I suppose Rich has done it before for whispering, but I didn't notice it until just now.

Case study: #194 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0194.html).

[Yzorth]

Wow. Kinda makes me wonder how the good ol' PCs are gonna beat it. I mean, its SO frakking powerful. O.O

[5tephen]

Nice one!

And a well evaded killing there, Giant.

[turn.self.off]

Wow. Kinda makes me wonder how the good ol' PCs are gonna beat it. I mean, its SO frakking powerful. O.O

you do not have to kill something to get xp for it ;)
that is, as long as thats not the whole point of it being there...

[Medieve]

.... how did Miko push over a cage of force? Can you do that...?

[TinSoldier]

.... how did Miko push over a cage of force? Can you do that...?Only in OotS.

[Nightfall]

OMG! That was SO totally worth it!!! I'm laughing so hard!

[Trobby]

Oh, and for those of you toting that the mitd may not be evil at all, here's some proof for ya'.

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0190.html

What, you thought I was going to prove you wrong? Nah, I'm a nice guy like that. ^^

[Holy_Knight]

Did anyone else get a real "Brainy Smurf" vibe from Miko there? :tongue:

I like that idea even better since someone else already compared Vaarsuvius to Jokey a while back...

[Mirage_of_Deceit]

The tarrasque is 70 feet long and 50 feet tall, and it weighs about 130 tons.

The tarrasque cannot speak.
srry, it's most likely not a tarrasque.

thats why we said young and as if rich hasnt broken the rules before.

[Kish]

I'll agree that the things we know about the MitD might be coloring my perception a little, but still, IMHO there are still all kinds of things wrong with the little encounted they had.

First of all, "What's your name?" followed by, "Neat! It must be hard to fit all that on your business cards though." is not what I'd call hostile. Neither is "Cool." for that matter.

"It's kinda awkward, though, since Xykon said I wasn't supposed to let you--"

Is not the same thing as, "You SHALL NOT PASS!!!", even if you're a paladin named Miko.
No...but standing blocking someone's way and not moving when she says "Millions of people will die if I don't go right now. Step aside," is standing blocking someone's way. Even if you're a weirdly charming monster who eats children.

[TigerHunter]

Case study: #194 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0194.html).
On the other hand... (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0072.html)

[CockroachTeaParty]

Holy nuts! The MitD must be a Tarrasque baby! Insane...

[Mirage_of_Deceit]

Not really :/ I meen its no stranger then anything else Rich has done

[Electricall]

Nah, Tarrasque baby would suck big. No, the MitD is something far more enigmatic and powerful. Even a Tarrasque wouldn't have been able to do that when hitting "it's lightest".

I'm happy Miko got powned. I dearly hope getting a *FREAKING HORSE* on her (after falling and landing *ON HER HEAD*), will kill her. Please, please, let her be dead. She deserves it. I mean, she has no sense of humor (in a comedic web comic, no less) and tried to kill the MitD while it was being nice! Plus all her other affronts, like in the battle vs. the OotS where she stabbed an unarmed Elan halfway to death without flinching.

Also, the MitD is trying to play the game and the first thing Miko does after accepting the terms is to start plotting how to bend the rules to her advantage. Since when is she a paladin? =/

[drunkmonk]

Miko (who I kind of like – sort of) was imprisoned against her will; she escapes by any means necessary, and tries to kill the first guard she runs across (without even a detect evil eye scan thingie). I am guessing that the storyline might have similarities to another recent storyline.

DM

[Lord Zentei]

Miko (who I kind of like – sort of) was imprisoned against her will; she escapes by any means necessary, and tries to kill the first guard she runs across (without even a detect evil eye scan thingie). I am guessing that the storyline might have similarities to another recent storyline.

DM

Which storyline are you thinking of?

[Grey Knight]

I really liked the way the whispering was done in a lighter shade and with the dash lines instead of a solid speech box. I suppose Rich has done it before for whispering, but I didn't notice it until just now.

Case study: #194 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0194.html).

On the other hand... (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0072.html)

Counterspellpoint! (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0210.html)

[Azukar]

Hey this is probably not news to anyone, but could :mitd: be a Grue? I mean, I don't want to get into stupid hypotheses (better to read and wait for Giant to tell us) but if we're talking about a nigh-invincible monster that lives in darkness...


Actually, scrap that. The MiTD wanted to be "lit up" when they entered Xykon's old tower (the one guarded by all the LG monsters). Grues aren't like that. Nor do they speak.

...Bugger.

[Lord Zentei]

Hey this is probably not news to anyone, but could :mitd: be a Grue? I mean, I don't want to get into stupid hypotheses (better to read and wait for Giant to tell us) but if we're talking about a nigh-invincible monster that lives in darkness...


Actually, scrap that. The MiTD wanted to be "lit up" when they entered Xykon's old tower (the one guarded by all the LG monsters). Grues aren't like that. Nor do they speak.

...Bugger.

There is a thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26954) on this topic. :smalltongue:

[Varian7]

Do you remember "Zork"? It could be a Zork Grue!

[Azukar]

Well fine, spoil all my fun then.

[Azukar]

Do you remember "Zork"? It could be a Zork Grue!

That's what I meant mate, but then Lord WhatsHisFace decided that the discussion needed to move threads.

[Lord Zentei]

That's what I meant mate, but then Lord WhatsHisFace decided that the discussion needed to move threads.

I was merely pointing it out to you, since that topic had already been raised, and I got the impression you were not aware of it.

[Morchaint]

LOOKS LIKE MIKO'S BLASTING OFF AGAIIiiiiiiinnnnnnnn-

*ting*

LOL x 1,000,000 its team paladin.

[Winged One]

Counterspellpoint! (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0210.html)

It was no doubt an art modification.

[merric101]

a+++ it was good, but not your best work

[xyzchyx]

I really hope that last part was sarcasm.

As to the first, She accepted no rules. She simply intended not to aim for the game's objective. Besides, it takes an alignment change from lawful in order to fall, not one chaotic act. Meh.Actually, any single willful evil act will cause a paladin to fall, even though such an act would not by itself necessarily cause a change of alignment. Paladins are, however, not similarly forbidden from chaotic acts, so long as they are infrequent enough to not affect alignment.


Wow. Kinda makes me wonder how the good ol' PCs are gonna beat it. I mean, its SO frakking powerful. O.OJust a speculation, but spoilerified just in case: There is an old saying: "use greater force against itself"

[smellie_hippie]

I'm not the first to say it, but "Yay :mitd: !!!"

Good comic, very funny, and I'm all about learing more and mroe about :mitd:.

"Aw, I suck" *snort*

[Hototo]

Shoot! Thats hardcore. But it was funny how the Monster didn't realize that Miko was reffering to Xykon as the one posing the threat to humanity. It almost seems as if he doesn't know Xykon's true intentions. Could this be?

[Lord Zentei]

Actually, any single willful evil act will cause a paladin to fall, even though such an act would not by itself necessarily cause a change of alignment. Paladins are, however, not similarly forbidden from chaotic acts, so long as they are infrequent enough to not affect alignment.

TheKOT did specify that a single CHAOTIC act would not be sufficient, that an alignment change from lawful would be required. No one challenges that an EVIL act would be sufficient for her - or indeed any paladin - to fall.

[Kish]

Since when is [Miko] a paladin? =/
*checks the archives to make sure* Strip #120. Give or take.

[Axorcist]

OMG!!!!! OMG!!!!! THIS is the funniest comic in forever! This rocks the freaking house!!! Absolutely freaking priceless to see Miko flying through the air and land head first on solid stone! In a way, I love Miko, but that doesn't take away the fact that it makes my heart light and joy to my entire being to see her get exactly what her over-bearing, self ritous butt deserves! And the Monster in the Dark just had his coolness factor raised by a factor of one thousand!

[Lord Zentei]

Shoot! Thats hardcore. But it was funny how the Monster didn't realize that Miko was reffering to Xykon as the one posing the threat to humanity. It almost seems as if he doesn't know Xykon's true intentions. Could this be?

Seeing as it apparently disaproved of the idea of using hobgoblins to trigger an avalanche and make Xykon and Redcloak's passage safe, that might actually be the case. Or perhaps it simply is lacking in will, and latches onto a charismatic figure to tell it what to do.

[TinSoldier]

Also, the MitD is trying to play the game and the first thing Miko does after accepting the terms is to start plotting how to bend the rules to her advantage. Since when is she a paladin? =/Have you ever played the "Who can hit the lightest" game? If not, then c'mere. I'll play you a round or two.

I'll even give you a Hertz Doughnut if you lose.


Miko (who I kind of like – sort of) was imprisoned against her will; she escapes by any means necessary, and tries to kill the first guard she runs across (without even a detect evil eye scan thingie). I am guessing that the storyline might have similarities to another recent storyline.

DM


Which storyline are you thinking of?Belkar's (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0261.html) escape (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0265.html) of course.

[eilandesq]

Maybe The Twelve Gods *are* a little annoyed at Miko--given that both she and Windstriker were blown out apparently at least a few hundred yards on different starting trajectories (given the two completely separate exit holes), it's rather unlikely that Windstriker would land right on top of her without some mid-course adjustments that in the context of this world could really only be divine in origin. The message--perhaps combined with a little compensatory "good luck" on the damage rolls to keep them nonfatal for all involved--might be this: "That was a really dumb stunt that could have gotten you killed and unable to warn Azure City--let the bruises be a lesson to you. Now get going."

[Lord Zentei]

Belkar's (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0261.html) escape (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0265.html) of course.

Ah, of course. Ring of Jumping +LotsAndLots. Heh.



Please, please, let her be dead. She deserves it. I mean, she has no sense of humor (in a comedic web comic, no less)

Dude. That is the joke.

Why do you think Rich made her that way? Give him some credit, now.

[Kish]

Dude. That is the joke.

It's also, like "frowns and looks angry all the time," a statement that can be applied with equal accuracy to Roy, especially now that Miko's been tossing off Roy-ish one-liners.

[Lord Zentei]

It's also, like "frowns and looks angry all the time," a statement that can be applied with equal accuracy to Roy, especially now that Miko's been tossing off Roy-ish one-liners.

They actually do have a lot in common as Vaarsuvius remarked. :smallwink:

[Felinoid]

Maybe The Twelve Gods *are* a little annoyed at Miko--given that both she and Windstriker were blown out apparently at least a few hundred yards on different starting trajectories (given the two completely separate exit holes), it's rather unlikely that Windstriker would land right on top of her without some mid-course adjustments that in the context of this world could really only be divine in origin. The message--perhaps combined with a little compensatory "good luck" on the damage rolls to keep them nonfatal for all involved--might be this: "That was a really dumb stunt that could have gotten you killed and unable to warn Azure City--let the bruises be a lesson to you. Now get going."
Me likey. :smallbiggrin: One wonders how many other times they've tried to correct her to no avail.

EDIT: On another note, how oxymoronic is smallbiggrin for that smiley? :smallamused:

[Lord Zentei]

EDIT: On another note, how oxymoronic is smallbiggrin for that smiley? :smallamused:

I thought I was the only one who had noticed that. :smallwink:

[warmachine]

As to the first, She accepted no rules. She simply intended not to aim for the game's objective.
It is an implied rule that one should at least try for the objective. It is legal for a chess player to resign as his first move but he'd be dishonourable for not even trying.

Besides, violating the spirit of an agreement, even if following the letter of the agreement, is the thinking of a scoundrel, not an honourable person.

And before you quote Miko's battle with the ogres, she stated there would be a battle, not a duel, which implies opposing groups, possibly magic and anything else to win that battle. All's fair in war but games are considered more gentlemanly affairs.

[LtNOWIS]

Accepting a challange whilst intending to violate the terms of that challange is intending dishonourable behaviour, which would be a violation of the paladin code of honour. Miko won't lose her paladin abilities as she hadn't actually acted dishonourbly. If her turn was first, she would have hit as hard as possible, not as lightly as possible, violating the challange she accepted.

The twelve gods had better give Miko a stern warning.

If not cheating on a casual, unofficial game like that when the lives of millions are directly at stake isn't "Lawful stupid" than I don't know what is. It would be like not telling the FBI there's going to be a nuclear terror attack because you implied you'd keep a secret.

[DougWykstra]

*Reply to the above message*

True, but why not try to win the creature over and talk your way out of the tower? Miko could have bargained with the MiTD, saying that if she won (which she would have), the MiTD would have to let her out of the tower and not tell Xykon. Before she slashed it with her sword, in fact, it seemed willing to let her out. So I'd have to say that Miko's plan of attack was hasty and unnecessary at best, and at worst indicative of bloodlust in her character.

[Renegade Paladin]

Nah, Tarrasque baby would suck big. No, the MitD is something far more enigmatic and powerful. Even a Tarrasque wouldn't have been able to do that when hitting "it's lightest".

I'm happy Miko got powned. I dearly hope getting a *FREAKING HORSE* on her (after falling and landing *ON HER HEAD*), will kill her. Please, please, let her be dead. She deserves it. I mean, she has no sense of humor (in a comedic web comic, no less) and tried to kill the MitD while it was being nice! Plus all her other affronts, like in the battle vs. the OotS where she stabbed an unarmed Elan halfway to death without flinching.

Also, the MitD is trying to play the game and the first thing Miko does after accepting the terms is to start plotting how to bend the rules to her advantage. Since when is she a paladin? =/
She's a paladin since taking her first level in the class, one would presume. More seriously, since when does paladinhood require you to be stupid about overcoming challenges? It seemed as good a plan as she was likely to have to defeat it, given that it thought her first attempt tickled.

[KeiranHalcyon]

And for goodness sakes try and spell my username right. Why does everyone get it wrong? :smallconfused:

I would suspect that the reason is that your username, unless I'm mentally mispronouncing it, rhymes with "hentai", and thus people expect the only spelling difference to be the Z.


I really hope that last part was sarcasm.

As to the first, She accepted no rules. She simply intended not to aim for the game's objective. Besides, it takes an alignment change from lawful in order to fall, not one chaotic act. Meh.

There is also a big difference between falling (irreversable), loosing one's palladin abilities pending attonement, and being given a warning via signs and portents. I do, however, agree with you in that she agreed only to play, not to try to win. And adhering strickly to the letter of an agreement while bending its intent is certainly allowable for a lawful character, as it is one of the primary ways that LE exerts its evilness.

[Delgarde]

Yes, I have in fact heard of them, though I doubt they landed head first on rock hard enough for said rock to break, and then had a horse land on their heads. :smallwink:

But then, we've had plenty of demonstrations of how thick Miko's skull is... solid rock apparently penetrates no further than did common sense... :)

[Shatteredtower]

It is an implied rule that one should at least try for the objective. It is legal for a chess player to resign as his first move but he'd be dishonourable for not even trying.

No chess player worthy of a master title buys into that notion. It would likely be considered a stupid thing to do, but most of them would accept your resignation without comment. Based upon precedent, the resignation would be upheld even if it was made jokingly, as Marshall did in a New York Championship after his opponent's first move as White or Blackburne is supposed to have done at Purcell's after his own first move as White. We take resignation very seriously in chess, we do.

There's no honour in a game that allows its competitors to agree to a draw without a struggle, as is common when grandmasters face each other in an open event, saving their strength for the more plentiful lesser players. Most operate on the principle that, "Two tigers locked in a cage full of meat do not try bothering to devour one another." I think it hurts world chess on the larger scale, but most players don't think in such terms and I can't entirely blame them all the time. ("I'm Grandmaster Kriegspiel and this is my first visit to New York. Do I want to spend six hours each day locked in an intense struggle over the board, or would I rather wrap up early today and get in some sight-seeing?")

The only dishonourable loss is in the games you accepted money from your opponent to lose. That's happened more than a few times too in world class play.


Besides, violating the spirit of an agreement, even if following the letter of the agreement, is the thinking of a scoundrel, not an honourable person.

Depends entirely on your priorities. If honour was all you valued, well, Sun Tzu knew where to hit you, and few would think to call him dishourable. Even if only dozens of lives had been at stake, an honourable person may be excused a slightly dishonourable action, if she chooses.

However, I see nothing dishonourable about Miko's choice. Let's suppose instead that the MitD had told Miko that it only wanted to play a game of chess, thinking this would delay her long enough for Xykon to reach his destination. (I have a hard time imagining the monster as a good chessplayer, though I may be underestimating him. Even if I'm right, however, I've no doubt he'd take forever to make each move, especially if he could never remember how the knights are supposed to move.) What dishonour is there in having her resign from the game without making a single move when there are lives at stake?

What she did here was no different. She agreed to the game's terms with the full intention of conceding the game so she could attend to more important matters. Would you have felt better if she'd intended to foolishly play to win, knowing as you do that the results would have been the same either way?

Oh, and did anyone else here a whistling sound during her Miko's two airborne strips? Ah, Wile E. Coyote, how I miss ye.

[The Hammer of Thor]

I think that I've grossly underestimated the power of Mitd. Oh dear.

[Shatteredtower]

I would suspect that the reason is that your username, unless I'm mentally mispronouncing it, rhymes with "hentai", and thus people expect the only spelling difference to be the Z.

Actually, I read it as rhyming more closely to "sensei". Break it down into two rhyming syllables, rather than attempt to make it one perfectly rhyming word.

[Sebastian]

Hmm Miko must have magical weapons so what DR does the monster have? He also apparently extremely strong. Maybe a undead with slashing resistance, or an high-class outisder that requires a specific metal or something? The possibilties continue to tantalize me, as I'm sure is it's intention.

I'm thinking DR\evil ;)

[Sebastian]

I really hope that last part was sarcasm.

As to the first, She accepted no rules. She simply intended not to aim for the game's objective. Besides, it takes an alignment change from lawful in order to fall, not one chaotic act. Meh.

guy A:"listen, rather than kill each other why don't we play a game of card?"
Guy B: "ok, deal"

*while guy A is dealing the cards guy B pull out a gun and shot him in the head*

Question: Could Guy B be a paladin? Because this is exactly what Miko wanted to do.

[Lord Zentei]

But then, we've had plenty of demonstrations of how thick Miko's skull is... solid rock apparently penetrates no further than did common sense... :)

Ah. That would be one of the Feats she gains access to as a Sapphire Guard, see? :smallwink: It does have its advantages.


As for you guys complaining about her not being honourable: remember what is at stake here: universal armageddon. She has to prioritize, and a paladin is Good first, Lawful second, as can be seen by the fact that one Evil act is enough to Fall, whereas only consistent Chaotic acts are sufficient for same.

One might argue that placing personal honour above the fate of millions would constitute a selfish act more than a Lawful one. Regardless, its only in need that such prioritizing would be required. Lawful Good does not equal lawful stupid (though sometimes it may qualify as Lawful Hotheaded and Lawful Stubborn).

[B9anders]

As an aside, on the MITD's alignment: it's quite possible that it isn't evil at all, and is simply a good or (more likely) neutral creature that does Xykon's bidding because it doesn't know any better. It certainly does seem to have a tendency towards childlike misunderstanding. OTOH, that doesn't in any way stop it from being evil; for example, Thog shares the MITD's 'cute and innocent' qualities, but no one would doubt that he is evil. The jury is still out on this one.

:mitd: did join redcloak in a hearty evil laugh in one of the earlier strips, so he does seem to have an appreciation for evil.

[Lord Zentei]

:mitd: did join redcloak in a hearty evil laugh in one of the earlier strips, so he does seem to have an appreciation for evil.

But was that more for the cameradice than the malice? Have we ever actually seen the MitD do anything evil onscreen by its own willful actions (in contrast to Belkar that is consistently reinforcing his alignment)? The closest I can think of is when the MitD offered to destroy the OOTS in its first appearance, but for a guard monster to offer to destroy intruders does not constitute evil, per se.

[B9anders]

But was that more for the cameradice than the malice? Have we ever actually seen the MitD do anything evil onscreen by its own willful actions (in contrast to Belkar that is consistently reinforcing his alignment)? The closest I can think of is when the MitD offered to destroy the OOTS in its first appearance, but for a guard monster to offer to destroy intruders does not constitute evil, per se.

Have we ever seen MitD do anything before this strip?

And he does talk about breaking the heroes' coprses and bathing in their blood. Pretty evil even when lightly seasoned with nutmeg.

[Lord Zentei]

Have we ever seen MitD do anything before this strip?

Point. Well let's see... we have seen it eat popcorn, we have seen it wave a big styrofoam hand around, we have seen it not seeing the gate, we have seen it being reluctant to fight in Xykon's tower.

...


The only instance that I can think of that would be suggestive of its alignment is the previously mentioned instance where he disaproved of sacrificing minions (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0190.html) just because Redcloak didn't like them.

But ya, evidence is somewhat limited, either way.


And he does talk about breaking the heroes' coprses and bathing in their blood. Pretty evil even when lightly seasoned with nutmeg.

One could argue that it was simply attempting to impress Xykon. Hence its less than competent/convincing delivery.

[B9anders]

we have seen it being reluctant to fight in Xykon's tower.

relcutant? He wanted nothing more than go out and destroy the order of the stick, only Xykon wouldn't let him.

also, he found it funny when Roy got caught in the uber-trap.

[Lord Zentei]

relcutant? He wanted nothing more than go out and destroy the order of the stick, only Xykon wouldn't let him.

also, he found it funny when Roy got caught in the uber-trap.

Fnord? That was the Dungeon of Dorukan, not Xykon's Tower.

I'm talking about this instance here: Linka (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0191.html).


also, he found it funny when Roy got caught in the uber-trap.

That's true. Though, of course, consistent Evil acts and a lot fewer Good ones are needed for an Evil alignment (as opposed to a Neutral one).

We really should start an evidence thread for the MitD's alignment, for overview purposes.

[B9anders]

Fnord? That was the Dungeon of Dorukan, not Xykon's Tower.

I'm talking about this instance here: Linka (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0191.html).

ah... my bad. At any rate, being a wimp says nothing about his alignment.

[Lord Zentei]

ah... my bad. At any rate, being a wimp says nothing about his alignment.

True. It wasn't meant to be evidence either way any more than the popcorn eating. :smallbiggrin: Just a list of the few actual things we have seen it do (and a bit of frustration/facetiousness about how little we really know about it).

BTW, I've started the evidence thread, in case you (or anyone) have any more suggestions. :smallwink:

[turn.self.off]

the discussions going on here about the alignment of MITD and miko just reminds me why D&D alignments is a headache best not contemplated.

it also reminds me why "the prince" is a text that for some reason sums up the human mindset quite nicely...