The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

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2013-10-02, 05:36 PM
TheWombatOfDoom

The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide
- The Annotated Order of the Stick -
A Companion Guide

This project is an effort to point out details the casual reader might overlook or not understand. Everything from references to Dungeons and Dragons (D & D), to in-comic event references, or even references to real life things. We'll also point out repeated gags and plot elements, so that when you follow along, you can enjoy the Order of the Stick story to the fullest! Due to these facts, rest assured - this project contains spoilers!

Please know that this project has no plans to leave this website in any type of coding project, or for contribution to the Order of the Stick Wiki. However if you wish to input things you notice on the wiki that this project is missing, or visa versa, please do!

How to Contribute:

Any help you'd care to give to this thread to make it more successful is welcome! However, there are a few things we ask you do before submitting!
- Please check the update list to make sure your contribution hasn't already been listed.
- Many things are in the comic that I haven't referenced yet. If you don't understand something in-comic, and don't see it here: Let me know!
- If you see something that's missing, please post at least a link to the update in question, so that I can quickly reference it. Feel free to set up your own annotations to be added to the list, following my format.
- In-comic Spelling and Art errors are not notable contributions. Please don't suggest them.
- However MY errors in the Annotation, whether by faulty links, misspellings, or confusing terminology, please let me know so I can make the changes! I don't mind the critque.
- Theories and unconfirmed material will not be added, to ensure the accuracy of the thread.
- Please refrain from debating any moral details within the comic here, we are not interested in what is Good or Evil, but rather what is Accurate or Not, and I would prefer not getting this thread locked by such conversation.
Spoiler: FAQ's
Show
Isn't this just like the "Things I Haven't Noticed" threads or the "Joke I Didn't Get" threads?

While there are some similarities, those threads have different missions than ours. Many of the details in the annotations have been gleaned from these threads, but ultimately, this thread is farther reaching.
-
Why do you have "X", but not "Y"?

Some things are more notable than others. While the ale at the bar's color might not matter too much, it's neat to note that Azurite Wine is blue, or the Empire of Blood's Wine is red. If it doesn't seem notable enough, go ahead and say so, and I'll take it under consideration. If there's something you think IS notable enough, say so. This is an on going project so your contributions are appreciated!
-
Why don't you have a section for Start of Darkness, On the Origin of PC's, and so on?

Until I purchase the extra books, I'm refraining from doing any of the prequels unless they are being referenced in the actual comic, because I can't link them as I can the updates, and I can't review the information without having the hard copy. Therefore, while I encourage these contributions, I'll be putting this in the work post. I plan on purchasing both the prequel OotS books at some point soon, but I'm a little low on funds currently.
Spoiler: Glossary (WIP)
Show

Abreviations:

There are 6 classic types of dice required to play D&D:
d4 (4 sided)
d6 (6 sided)
d8 (8 sided)
d10 (10 sided)
d12 (12 sided)
d20 (20 sided)

CP - Copper Pieces
SP - Silver Pieces
GP - Gold Pieces
PP - Platinum Pieces

HP - Hit Points
AC - Armor Class

XP - Experience Points
AoO - Attack of Opportunity
ECL - Equivalent Character Level
WBL - Wealth By Level

STR - Strength Ability
DEX - Dexterity Ability
CON - Constitution Ability
INT - Intelligence Ability
WIS - Wisdom Ability
CHA - Charisma Ability

Experience Points (XP): XP is typically awarded the characters at the completion of a major adventure milestone. When enough XP has been gained, the character goes up a level, much to the delight of the character's player as the character becomes more powerful. XPs are also awarded for defeating monsters.

Attack of Opportunity (AoO): In D&D, when a character drops his defenses due to being busy with something that requires a mental effort, such as spellcasting, ennemies close to him get a free attack.

Equivalent Character Level (ECL): ECL is a characteristic of some monster races, which have more inherent power as humans. In order to make for a balanced party when such races are played, players have to add their race's ECL + their class level to calculate their total level. Other players not using a powerful race will thus need to have a higher class levels for thing to be about equal in character power.

Wealth by Level (WBL): This is a rule that says how much wealth (including magic items) a NPC of a given level is supposed to own. It's a tool for the DM to balance fights, and loot.

Abilities: To create a character in D&D, the players usually roll six ability scores, and assign them to Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma in the order they wish.

Saving Throws: A Saving Throw (or Save for short) is a roll to determine if a creature is affected by some magical or other effect. There are 3 types of Saving Throws: Will (for mind-related effects), Fortitude for health-related effects) and Reflex (for effects that can be defended against with a fast reaction).

Skills:

Suggestions for this section are welcome!

Annotation Index

Reoccurring Gags and Work Space
-
Strips 0001 - 0100
Strips 0101 - 0200
Strips 0201 - 0300
Strips 0301 - 0400
Strips 0401 - 0500
Strips 0501 - 0600
Strips 0601 - 0700
Strips 0701 - 0800
Strips 0801 - 0900
Strips 0901 - 1000
Strips 1001 - 1100

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

Reoccurring Gags:
Spoiler
Show

Book Titles –

'Start of Darkness' is a reference to 'Heart of Darkness'.
'On the Origin of PCs' is a reference to 'On the Origin of Species'.
'Dungeon Crawling Fools' is not a reference to anything, according to Rich (reference needed).
'No Cure for Paladin Blues' is a reference to the song '(No Cure for the) Summertime Blues', originally by Eddie Cochran, but also covered by The Who (among others).
'War and XPs' is a reference to 'War and Peace'.
'Don't Split the Party' is a reference to ...

Gags:

Stop Opressing Gag –
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0202.html,
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0779.html,
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0895.html

Get it off me gag –
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0041.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0520.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0805.html

Lawyers gag -
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0032.html

Dimmers gag –
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0751.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0821.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0046.html

WWTD - http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0170.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0073.html,
Reference - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_would_Jesus_do%3F

Window Break Gag –
Kato’s window break - http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0589.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0643.html
Throne room window break - http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0284.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0447.html

The gates make a distinctive noise and explosion -
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0120.html,
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0463.html,
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0899.html,
and the party recognizes it -
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0696.html,

Dragon Toy - http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0600.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0463.html,

Hobgoblins and Gouda - http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0463.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0705.html, 514, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0474.html

Lime Green Boots Gag - http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0608.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0003.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0573.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0675.html,

Flumphs bad things happen to them gag -
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0055.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0074.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0120.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0210.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0805.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1090.html

Mail call gag -
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0259.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0121.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0033.html.

Bag of Tricks gag -
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0163.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0167.html

Order of the Stick Universe –

All the gods in the comic are color-coded for your convenience. The Northern gods have a yellow aura. The Southern gods have a blue aura. In the crayon drawings, the Western gods have a red aura and the now-extinct Greek pantheon of the Eastern gods had a green aura.

Northern Gods: Thor, Loki, Surtur, Hel

Every Dweomer matches their respective caster’s eyes.

Every sending spell in the comic is exactly 25 words.

When a spellcaster is casting a spell at someone else, there's only one layer of colored aura, around the caster and the subject. But when a spellcaster is casting a spell on him/herself, the aura is double-layered - which make sense, as s/he is both caster and subject.

When magic casters get pissed they seem to automatically have magic in hand, like a reflex making of a fist.

Goblins and Hobgoblins have 3 lines for feet instead of one like humans.

Paladins with a light blue belt have a dark blue cloak, and paladins with a dark blue belt have a light blue cloak.

Characters:

DStP clarifies that Lee is yellow (devil), Nero purple (daemon), and Cedrik orange (demon)

Sir Francois was Elan’s travelling companion before he joined the Order of the Stick. We find this out in the On the Origins of the PC’s book, though he makes several appearances within the main story –
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0141.html (mention)
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0311.html (mention)
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0415.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0888.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0975.html

Hints as to Malack being a Vampire –
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0764.html

Celia's and Roy's moms both want grandchildren.

Sabine likes mixed drinks with tiny umbrellas - http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0252.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0385.html

The three LG Kobolds are called Yikyik, Yokyok, Yukyuk, and the last makes fun of the name YakYak.

Belkar playing with Mr. Scruffy - http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0379.html, 405,

Belkar has hair on his head AND his feet.

Belkar cooking reference - http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0098.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0261.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0692.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0279.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0834.html

Belkar asks Durkon to make him blind because of something Elan's doing.
Belkar asks Durkon to make him deaf because of something Elan's doing.

Belkar loves helping people - 682 , 685, 687

Belkar & Unleashing the Fury -
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0140.html

Durkon acts as Kazumi's doctor while she's pregnant -
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0598.html

Durkon's tree gag -
Strip 150
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0161.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0169.html

Elan thinks not wearing clothes equals Invisibility:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0665.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0302.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0025.html

Elan making illusion of enemy's female equivelent:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0019.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0066.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0387.html

Elan's singing gag:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0002.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0004.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0006.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0041.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0050.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0061.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0109.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0125.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0180.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0181.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0348.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0837.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0867.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0918.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0932.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0935.html

Haley shows interest in Elan before the reveal in –
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0088.html,
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0109.html,
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0141.html,
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0028.html,
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0120.html,
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0161.html

All of Haley’s personalities have a stray hair.

Haley's sap – 750

Roy architecture references –
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0808.html,
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0895.html,
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0994.html

Roy heavy metal references - Roy has apparently flipped through heavy metal albums before.

Sabine - Devil or Demon?
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0849.html

V always has grapefruit for breakfast at inns -
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0127.html,
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0401.html

V’s family threat plot point was built up over a long period of time - 233, 338, 385.

V refers to Miko as that paladin, because she refers to V as Elf.

V's Gender Ambiguity -
28.
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0252.html "Dude"
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0385.html "Sister"

V's Explosive Runes -
91.

V's Forgetting Familiar Trope -
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0003.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0154.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0155.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0178.html

Linear Guild Opposites –

OotS counterpart Dungeon of Dorukan Cliffport/Azure City Empire of Blood Girard's Pyramid

Elan Nale Nale Nale Nale

Haley Starshine Sabine Sabine Sabine Sabine

Roy Greenhilt Thog Thog Thog Tarquin

Belkar Bitterleaf Yikyik Yokyok Yukyuk Kilkil

Mr Scruffy N/a N/a Sir Scraggly N/a

Vaarsuvius Zz'dtri Pompey Zz'dtri Zz'dtri

Blackwing N/a N/a Qarr Qarr

Durkon Thundershield Hilgya Firehelm Leeky Windstaff N/a Malack

First appearance: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0043.html

Nale: Elan’s twin brother’s name is Nale, which is Elan spelled backwards.

Sabine: Chaotic Evil Female Succubus, whose alignment is opposite to Haley's Chaotic Good. In a relationship with Nale, similar to how Haley is in a relationship with Elan.

Thog: Chaotic Evil Male Half-Orc Barbarian, strong like Roy, but opposite in Intelligence to Roy.

Zz'dtri: Zz’dtri’s tendancy to not speak is directly opposite of Vaarsuvius, is generally particularly verbose. Z's aura is green while V's is purple.

Pompey: Pompey’s belt color is also the color of V's cape, his cape runes are the color of V's clasp, and his clasp is the color of V's robes.

Leeky Windstaff: Leeky is wearing robes that match Durkon’s skin tone, and Leeky’s skin tone matches the color of Durkon’s beard. His beard, hair, and cape also match Durkon’s armor color, and their amulet pendants match the other’s chain.

Work Space

Annotation Project Work:

Spoiler
Show

Cliffport scenes have a change in sky color when Durkon uses control weather, and then fade back to blue over time. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0352.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0357.html, http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0364.html.

What I just noticed:
In 1020, Blackwing can identify the spell on the scroll despite having no idea what he is doing.

In 3.5e, Familiars can use their Sorcerer's/Wizard's/Etc. skill ranks.

Title Project Work:
Spoiler
Show

2 Reference to "being picked last" for sports teams in primary school.

3 See Spot Spot
A play on "See Spot run", a common phrase from the **** and Jane reading books. A series of reading primers for American children tell stolries about the children **** and Jane, and a dog named Spot. They are full of easy to read sentences such as "See Spot play with the ball."

5
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Worlds_Collide_(film)

6 The Cleric is 'In'
A parody of the Peanuts comic strip. The character Lucy pretends to be a dolctor, and gives advice to Charlie Brown. She sits by a sign saying "The Doctor is IN"

9 I am Curious, Elan
A reference to the films I Am Curious (Yellow) and I Am Curious (Blue)

20 Arcanolypse Now
A reference to the film Apocalyse Now combined with the word arcane. The movie's dialog includeds "I love the smell of napalm in the morning... smells like victory" and "The horror, the horror" which are referenced in the strip.

24 Do You Hear What I Hear?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_You_Hear_What_I_Hear%3F

28 Just Like on Three's Company
Three's Company was an American sitcom. Much of the humour derived from comic misunderstandings, and double entendres.

35 Rogues Gone Wild!
Parody of the Girls Gone Wild series.

36 Building a Better PC Trap
References the saying "to build a better mousetrap"

39 Date with Destiny
A date with Destiny is a phrase usually referring to an inescapable fate. Here it refers to Eugene arranging a romantic encounter (a date) while giving a prophesy (destiny)

40 The Gods Must be Busy
References The Gods Must Be Crazy

43 What's Behind Door #2?
References a gameshow hosted by Monty Hall, where the contestant was offered a choice of three doors. Behind one door was the star prize, a new car, while the other two concealed a goat.

38 The comic's title refers to Attacks of Opportunity, which allows a person to make a free melee attack on certain conditions

59 The Shot Heard Round the Dungeon
The phrase Shot heard round the world is used to describe several different historical events.

85 The Elder Puppet
Reference to the "elder gods" in the works of H.P. Lovecraft

95 Dead Men Tell Tales
The usual phrase is dead men tell no tales referring to killing a witness in order to silence him.
120 The End of the Beginning

The title is taken from a speech by Winston Churchill. "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

The same speech also contains the phrase "blood, tears. toil, and sweat" which shall be referenced in a later book.

-----------------

Strip 131: Money Makes the World Go Round

The title comes from a song in the show Cabaret.

-----------------

Strip 144: Pop Goes the Weasel

The title comes from an an English nursery rhyme of obscure origin and meaning.

------------------

Strip 145: Mr(s). Wizard Explains It All

Mr Wizard (the late Don Herbert) was the presenter of a series of educational TV shows that introduced children to science. The use of Mr(s) in the title obscures V's gender. It also provides an early hint that V is married

-------------------

164 Here He Comes, To Save the Day!

The title references the Mighty Mouse theme song.

-------------------

Strip 171: The Prisoner Dilemma

The title references Prisoner's dilemma, a famous logical puzzle and paradox.

-------------------

Strip 181: Cursing the Darkness

The title references a popular saying "It is better to light a little candle than to curse the darkness"

------------------

Strip 183: Spit and/or swallow

The title references .... something that is against the rules of the forum to discuss. And it isn't politics.

----------------

strip 192 Everything Sits Better on a Ritz

The title references a TV advert for Ritz Crackers.

Strips with Matching Titles (or close enough):

This implies that perhaps some of the strip titles that match are intentional, but ultimately Rich chalks it up to forgetfulness.

924 Resource Management *
433 Resource Management *
879 Running on Empty
168 Running on Empty
877 The Bright Side
333 The Bright Side
842 All in the Family
681 All in the Family
832 Loose Ends
72 Loose Ends
720 Breakfast of Champions
401 Breakfast of Champions
590 Role Reversal
146 Role Reversal
406 A Moment of Truth
285 A Moment of Truth
600 –Headed Down, 897 – Headed Downtown
Strip 431: My Three Xykons
Strip 632: My Three Fiends
Strip 463: Shattered
Strip 636: Shattered, Shattered

2013-10-02, 05:40 PM
TheWombatOfDoom

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide
The Annotated Order of the Stick
Strips 1 to 100
Previous Page | Index | Next Page
Spoiler: Strips 1-100
Show
Strip 1: New Edition
In the strip, we see the Order of the Stick updating from D&D 3.0 Edition to the later 3.5 installment (which the title references), which had minor changes to the existing system. We see how the party is affected in each panel:

In panel 3, Durkon feels "more stable" because Dwarves got a +4 to ability checks opposing Bull Rushes or being Tripped in the update to 3.5.
In panel 4, Elan gets a chain shirt because Bards become proficient in them in the update to 3.5.
In panel 6, Roy feels more intimidating because the skill Intimidate becomes a class skill for fighters in the update to 3.5.
In panel 10, Belkar's weapon shrinks because in 3.0, Small characters could use Medium weapons. They would just use them differently (it would be treated as a weapon one size larger). Due to this, his Medium daggers became Small daggers in the update to 3.5.
In the last panel, Elan gets more skill points because Bards went from 4 (pluss INTelligence modifier) skill points per level to 6 (plus INTelligence modifier) skill points per level.

Strip 2: Second Grade All Over Again
The title of this strip refers to the fact that young kids usually pick the weakest (or least liked) kid last when picking teams.
In panel 1, Elan is referencing the skill points he received in the previous strip.

Strip 3: See Spot Spot
In Panel 1, Haley mentions her Boots of Speed were lime green so she didn't want to use them. These boots will be referred to again in Strip 608 and Strip 609, playing a role in her long-standing feud with Crystal. In Strip 675, she will solve the problem by having them dyed to match her outfit.
In panel 2, Belkar notes he "failed a spot check", which references a dice roll in D&D 3.5 that determines whether or not a character sees something using the Skill - "Spot". It is one of the more common rolls players (or their DMs) make during a gaming session and often if a player rolls, but nothing happens after the roll, there is a sense that you "missed" something, even though the character should not realize a check was failed.
In panel 4, Belkar references an instance where in D&D, so long as your familiar is within reach, you gain the benefits of any feats they might have - in this case Alertness - which grants you a bonus to the Skills: Listen and Spot.
In panel 6, we see a reference to a common instance in D&D where a player would often forget his or her familiar was present, and so forget to describe its movements on a regular basis. So the familiar would "pop up" whenever its abilities were needed, thus giving the player a reason to describe its location/activity. This becomes a Reoccurring Gag.
In panel 10, the reference of failing a Skill Check is furthered when they fail a Listen check, which also creates the same "dice rolled, but no new information" issue that spot checks create.

Strip 4: The Power of Music
In panel 2, Elan informs Roy that he is using "Inspire Competence", which is a feature of the Bard class. By singing an inspiring tune, Elan improves his allies success odds in a skill check, such as Jump and Bluff, as exhibited in this strip.
In the last panel, Elan says that the ogre must have rolled a "Sense Motive" - another skill in D & D rolled to tell if someone's motives are pure or not.

Strip 5: When Plotlines Collide!
In panel 2, Vaarsuvius is shouting "Expeditious Retreat" which is a spell that increases the caster's speed, whether to retreat or not.

Strip 6: The Cleric is 'In'
In panel 2, we see the Order of the Stick view Durkon as a box of Band-Aids. In D & D, clerics are often seen this way in adventuring parties, often to the annoyance of the player of the cleric.
In panel 4, Durkon is seen casting 3 healing spells to heal each member in the party, depending on amount of injury. Cure Serious Wounds restores a lot of hit points, while Cure Light Wounds only restores a small amount. Belkar mentions a third healing spell - Cure Moderate Wounds - which heals a medium amount of damage.

Strip 7: ThorPrayer
In panel 1, Durkon says he is out of CSW's, which is an abreviation for "Cure Serious Wounds" which Elan's wounds are exibited to be.
In panel 2, we see Durkon praying to his god to regain spells. In the D&D game this is usually a very easy process that gets overlooked as it's the same every day. Not so in this comic.

Strip 8: The Benifit of a High Bluff Score
In the last panel, Haley says her father "was a 1st Edition thief", which implies that this was a very long time ago as her father would have experienced conversions to 2nd Edition, then 3rd Edition and finally 3.5.

Spoiler
Show

Strip 9: I am Curious, Elan - No annotations yet

Strip 10: Like Enthrall, Only Boring
In panel 1, we see the Goblins in the background are speaking a different language – likely Goblin.

Strip 11: Alignment Differences
In panel 1, Roy uses a game mechanic called Coup de Grace
to kill off the sleeping goblins.
In panel 5, Belkar is shown to be unaffected by the Unholy Blight spell, which only harms Good and Neutral creatures. The implication is that his alignment is Evil, a fact that the group chooses to ignore.

Strip 12: Up a Level, Down a Level
Panel 4: Haley is referencing the vampire's power to drain energy from people, which may result in character level loss.
In panel 5, we see confusion as the group needs to go up in character level at the same time it goes further down the dungeon's physical levels. In old-school "dungeon crawl" D & D adventures, the toughest monsters would typically reside in the dungeon's lowest levels. In order to be victorious, the characters would have of be of a higher level in their class.

Strip 13: Plot, Ahoy!
In panel 7, when Roy cuts off Xykon’s head, the sound effect is Snicker snack!, which is what the Vorpal sword does in the book, Through the Looking Glass.

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Strip 17: Rapier Wit
In panel 4, we see Belkar suggest that he can Sunder Elan's rapier "by speaking to loudly". Since Sunder is a maneuver in D&D which attempts to destroy an opponent's weapon or armor, Belkar is saying that Elan's weapon is very weak.
In panel 8, refers to the Spot and Listen checks gag from strip 3, only instead with Spot and Hide checks.

Strip 18: Double Surprise
In panel 1, Elan mentions Bardic lore, which in D & D is a Bard class feature that can be used to determine if he knows any details about the subject through his knowledge of stories.
In panel 3, we see Belkar and Elan say they are surprised, referring to the surprise round that occurs at the beginning of combat.
In panel 6, the interaction between Elan and Haley is typical of a game session, where the Rogue player, having just acted, doesn't realize it's her turn again due to her high Initiative roll.
In panel 7, we see Haley use a "Sneak Attack". As a Rogue, she can use this when she has the advantage of surprise, which gives bonus damage to her attack. If, on top of that, she wins the Initiative roll [citation needed] over her opponent, then the opponent is caught flat-footed, thus granting the Sneak Attack bonus again.

Strip 19: Evade!
In panel 5, Haley is undamaged by the chimera's breath weapon because she, as she states, has Evasion - a Rogue class feature. With it, Haley sustains no damage from a spell when she makes a successful Reflex save. Lacking Evasion, Belkar and Elan take full damage if they fail their own saves, or half damage if they succeed.

Strip 20: Arcanolypse Now
In panel 6, Vaarsivius' line, "I love the smell of bat guano in the morning" is a reference to the film Apocalypse Now in which the character Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore says, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning". Vaarsuvius says "bat guano" because sulfur and bat guano are material components used in the casting of the Fireball spell he/she uses.
In panel 9, Vaarsuvius' spell - Evan's Spiked Tentacles of Forced Intrusion is not an actual spell. It is based off of the actual spell - Evard's Black Tentacles.
In the last panel, Trigak's line, "The horror...the horror!" furthers the reference to Apocalypse Now, as it is the same line said by the character Colonel Walter E. Kurtz.

Strip 21: It's All About the Drama
In panel 2, when Belkar delivers the killing blow to the chimera, all three heads say Gak, which represents the monster's name - Trigak.
In panel 6, Haley's dialogue about Trigak "swearing to get us and our little dog, too" is a reference to an iconic line from the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz. It was said by the Wicked Witch of the West, who was a reoccurring villain in the film.

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Strip 24: Do You Hear What I Hear?
In the strip, we see Durkon's armor is making loud "clank" noises, which alerts some off panel goblins. The goblins for some reason decide to narrate their actions, which as the comic goes on further frustrates the party.
In panel 3, the goblins mention "XP", which stands for Experience Points. Characters in D & D gain this when they defeat a monster, and use it to advance in levels.

Strip 25: Armor Begone
In panel 3, Durkon mentions his Armor Check Penalty, which is a game mechanic which models how hard it is to swim, climb, jump, move silently, etc, in heavy equipment or armor.
In panel 9, the candle materializing above Elan's head is a parody of the Idea Bulb, which traditionally appears above cartoon characters' heads when they have an idea.

Strip 26: Bardic Nudity
In panel 1, Belkar mentions a spell named "Dispel Clothes", which is a play on the names of various "Dispel" spells in D&D (such as Dispel Magic, Dispel Chaos etc.). Dispel Clothes is not an actually spell in D & D.
In panel 5, mentions the "Protection from Law" spell, which is a spell meant to protect from someone from magical effects or enemies of the Lawful alignment, similar to Protection from Evil, Good, or Chaos. In this case, Roy is using it as a pun to reference being protected from "the Law".
In panel 6, Belkar says "Stupid p.c. PC's", which stands for "politically correct" "Player Characters".

Strip 27: The Delicate Art of Intraparty Negotiations
In panel 5, Roy suggest casting "Cat's Grace" on Elan, which is a spell that provides a bonus to Dexterity, which in turn would provide a bonus to the skill Hide.
In panel 7, Roy invokes the rules to bonus stacking in D & D: Depending on their nature, bonuses may or may not "stack", ie. be cumulative with each other. Counting on Elan's limited knowledge of the D&D rules, Roy is arguing that the bonus from Cat's Grace will not stack with the "bonus" Elan thinks he gets from removing his clothes.
In the last panel, Durkon balks at casting Cat's Grace because it is a Touch spell, which means it is a spell that requires physically touching the target to work. Some spells do not require the caster to touch the target, hence the designation.

Strip 28: Just Like on Three's Company
In panel 10, Haley mentions Elan has an 18 Charisma. Charisma is one of the six character abilities in D & D (the others are Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, and Wisdom). Charisma represents physical attractiveness, among other personal qualities. The higher the score, the better it is.

Strip 29: Treasure? What Treasure?
In panel 2, we see Haley taking on the clichéd Rogue - leveraging her role as a scout to swindle the other characters out of their fair share of treasure.
In panels 3 through 6, Haley demonstrates the power of the Bluff skill when it is high, as it allows her to get away with even the most blatant lies.

Strip 30: Behind the Secret Door
In panel 2, Vaarsuvius is reacting to his racial feature that Elves in D & D that allows him to have a better chance at detecting secret doors. The way Vaarsuvius detects the secret door - "Elf sense...tingling", is a reference to the comic book hero, Spider-man, who has the ability to detect danger. When he does, he states "My Spider senses are tingling".
In panel 3, while normally secret doors are obvious to the reader and not to the characters, the door depicted here is labeled secret door and was noticed by both Elan and Roy, making Vaarsuvius' racial ability obsolete.
In panel 4, we see Vaarsuvius complain that Search is a cross-class for him/her. A cross-class skill is a skill that a specific class isn't very good at (in this case a wizard). So, being an Elven Wizard allows Vaarsuvius to be good at finding secret doors, but not much else.
In panel 7, Elan thinks the creature he encounters is a Mind Flayer, (or an illithid) which is classic and very dangerous monster in D & D. It is famous for its psionic abilities and for feeding on people's brains.

Strip 31: All-You-Can-Eat Brain Buffet
In panel 11, Vaarsuvius mentions he/she has an 18 Intelligence. Intelligence is one of the six character abilities in D & D (the others are Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma). The higher the score, the better it is.

Strip 32: Biting the Hand that Feeds Me
In panel 3, the lawyers Jones and Rodriguez line about the "spooky wizard who lives by the coast" is a reference to Wizards of the Coast, the company that owns and edits the D&D game.
In panel 6, Jones mentions that the Mind Flayer was "never released to the SRD". The SRD is the System Reference Document [citation required], a compendium of the D&D game's basic rules. The SRD is freely available to all under the Open Game License, a scheme similar to open source software. Certain iconic monsters such as the Mind Flayer aren't described in the SRD and are thus subject to ordinary copyright rules. Mr. Jones is therefore claiming the mind flayer should not appear or even be named in the comic, thus saving Roy from a nasty fate.
In the last panel, the monster depicted is a Beholder (or "Sphere of Many Eyes"). Like the mind flayer, it isn't part of the SRD.

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Strip 34: Math is Fun
In this strip, we see a spoof of a classic situation in a D & D session, where players have difficulties remembering the various bonuses that may apply to their attacks depending on circumstances, as the rules are fairly complex. Here Durkon, like many players before him, remembers bonuses belatedly, and the generous DM (or in this case, the author) lets him record the bonuses effects retroactively.

Strip 35: Rogues Gone Wild!
In panel 12, we see Durkon suggest to Haley to "Take 20" on her Search for traps. Taking 20 in D & D is a rule for situations where the character isn't pressed for time and can try her skill check any number of times. When taking 20, the die roll is considered to be 20, the maximum for such checks.

Strip 36: Building a Better PC Trap
In panel 1, we see Haley mention that the events of the previous strip was just a "wardrobe malfunction" is a reference to the wardrobe malfunction during the 2004 Superbowl XXXVIII Half-time Show, which occured the year this strip was written.

Strip 37: Evil, But Cost-Effective
In panel 7, when Xykon Chain Lightning’s the Ogre Chieftains to death, the animal head wrap of the left Chieftain opens its eyes in shock.
In the last panel, the Goblins want to propose a 401k plan to Xykon. In the US (where the Order of the Stick is written) a 401(k) is an employer-provided pension plan.

Strip 38: Spontaneous Artistic Expression
In panel 4, we see that Roy's strength has been sapped by the poison in the trap from the previous strip. Most poisons in D&D cause "ability damage," which reduces one or more ability scores. In this case Roy has received so many doses of poison that his Strength is reduced to zero (the lowest it can go), which renders him helpless until he is healed.
In the last panel, we see that Belkar and Elan have written "lawful stupid" next to Roy on the wall. Lawful Stupid is a derogatory term for characters who adhere to the rules even at a obvious or stupid consequence to themselves or others.

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Strip 40: The Gods Must be Busy
In panel 1, we see the Gods Thor and Surtur about to battle. They are both gods in one of the classic D & D pantheons. Surtr, god of the fire giants, is evil and an enemy of Durkon's god, Thor.
In panel 3, the angel speaking to Thor references the prayer answering machine from strip 7.

Strip 41: Just Take the AoO
In panel 2, Vaarsuvius mentions he/she must concentrate to avoid incurring an Attack of Opportunity (see Glossary) from the Goblins nearby. This is because it is possible to cast defensively, which denies the possibly of an AoO, but then runs the risk of failing to cast the spell.
In panel 6, Elan sings a parody of the song "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang.
In panel 7, Elan sings a parody of the song "We Will Rock You" by Queen.

Strip 42: Belkar Unleashed
In panel 10, we see Belkar exclaim, "Eat your heart out Elijah Wood!" Elijah Wood was the actor who played the hobbit (which is essentially a halfling) Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

Strip 43: What's Behind Door #2?
In the last panel, we see the Order of the Stick encounter their mirrored opposites - The Linear Guild. To find out more about these opposites, reference the Overflow & Gags section.

Strip 44: Meet the Linear Guild
In panel 5, we see Nale say that Intelligence was Thog's "dump stat". This term refers to which of the 6 abilities that a player chooses at character creation to have the lowest score for their character.
In panel 6, it is revealed Elan’s twin brother’s name is Nale, which is Elan spelled backwards.
In panel 7, we see Haley identify Zz'dtri is a dark elf, or drow, which was a monster race in early editions of D&D. With the publication of the Unearthed Arcana, dark elves became, as Nale cites, a playable race.
In panel 8, since the entire drow race was described by the Monster Manual as evil, the vast majority of players who wished to play a drow described their character as a Chaotic Good outcast, which quickly became a huge cliché.
In panel 9, we see Haley point out Zz'dtri's scimitars. Zz'dtri is a parody of the popular novel character, Drizzt Do'Urden, by fantasy author R.A.Salvatore. Like his model, Zz'dtri has with two scimitars; however, unlike Drizzt, he is a wizard, making the scimitars more of a fashion choice that a preferred fighting method.

Strip 45: Strength in Numbers
In panel 2, one of the order guesses the linear guild is a group of doppelgangers, which are D&D monsters that have the power to mimic the appearance of another creature.
In this same panel, the order also mentions "A Mirror of Opposition," which is a magical item that creates evil opposites of those who look upon it.

Strip 46: Deep Thoughts
In panel 7, Haley tells Roy to "grow a sense motive". With a good score in the Sense Motive skill, Roy might be able to tell that something is amiss in Nale's story.

Strip 47: But is it High Definition?
In the last panel, we see Belkar and YikYik fighting on Xykon’s Scrying Ball. The line YikYik says (since Xykon has it set to Spanish in the panel) translates to say, Hey, I think I just failed to notice something!

Strip 48: Stab of Opportunity
In panel 4, YikYik mentions that Belkar left his threated area, which provoked him. This is a reference to the rules on Attacks of Opportunity, where leaving an enemy's threatened area (the area he can reach with a weapon) gives him an opportunity to attack.
In panel 6, the Combat Reflexes feat that YikYik mentions allows a character to perform more than one Attack of Opportunity in the same combat round.

Strip 49: Collect the Whole Set
In panel 2, we see a typical discussion of the intricacies of rules across multiple editions. The 3rd Edition rule of the Fly spell was more favorable to the wizard that the revised 3.5 version, so some playing groups adopted house rules to continue using the older version. V tries and fails to acquire that special spell by proposing increasingly powerful spells in exchange.
In panel 10, we see the shop selling starter packs and randomized booster packs, which is a reference to the fantasy card game - Magic: The Gathering, which is also a product of Wizards of the Coast.

Strip 50: The Semi-Secret Origin of Elan & Nale
In Panel 8, we see that Elan and Nale's father has a banner with the letter "T" on it, which makes sense as his name is Tarquin.
In panel 14, we see Nale even as an infant was developing facial hair. Their baby diapers also match their adult tunics: Nale wears red, Elan wears green.
In panel 15, Hilga and Durkon are playing the card game - Go Fish.
In panel 18, Nale's complicated choice of character classes is a throwback the original, equally complicated Bard class from D&D 1st Edition, which involved taking on multiple classes to accomplish. Basically, a Fighter/Rogue/Sorcerer is equivalent to a Bard.

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Strip 52: Young Dwarves in Love
In panel 12, we see that if Durkon had had more ranks in the skill "Knowledge (Religion)", he'd have known that Loki is an evil god, and an enemy of Thor.

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Strip 55: One for the Old-Schoolers
In panel 3, the creature described as "And I don't even know what that one is supposed to be" is a Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, which first appeared S3: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks before it was collected (along with many other monsters that first appeared in "Dragon Magazine" or various adventure modules) into the 1st Edition Dungeons and Dragons: Monster Manual II.
In panel 9, the two monsters in this panel are Flumphs, another example of an outdated monster from an earlier edition. They have good reason to be saddened by Nale's description, because flumphs are Lawful Good, and famously pretty weak. The Flumphs will become a recurring gag which you can find more information about their multiple appearances in the Reoccurring Gag section.

Strip 56: An Alternate Hypothesis
In panel 1, we see that Hilgya and Durkon are holding hands.

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Strip 57: Inevitable Betrayal? Check. - No annotations yet

Strip 58: First Aid
In panel 10, we see that Belkar’s clothing changes color when he is enchanted with Owl’s Wisdom.

Strip 59: The Shot Heard Round the Dungeon
In the last panel, we see Haley state she "rolled a natural 20", which is a 20 on a 20-sided die before bonuses. When rolled, it is always a success, no matter how difficult (save impossible) the action taken is.
In this same panel, we see that none of the monsters are attempting to climb the ice after the Talisman of Dorukan is shattered.

Strip 60: Everything Comes Together
In panel 5, we see a reference to the prediction from strip 15.
In the last panel, Roy refers to the Linear Guild as a "Bizarro Twin," which is a general term for an alternate self. The name comes from Bizarro, who was an evil alternate version of the comic book hero, Superman.

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Strip 62: Heavy Metals
In panel 4, we see Haley mention Damage Reduction, which is a defensive quality of certain monsters to shrug off damage from weapons. Most of the time, these monsters have a vulnerability to certain types of weapons, that bypasses their damage reduction, such as Cold or Iron, in this case.
In panel 8, we see Haley reference the feat, Manyshot, which allows Haley to shoot multiple arrows in one attack. If the attack is successful, both arrows will hit.

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Strip 63: Together, They're Six Feet of Whoop Ass - No annotations yet

Strip 64: Transference
In panels 2-5, Thog and Roy are discussing character optimization. The Barbarian class has great advantages, notably the ability to enter a rage, boosting Strength and Constitution in a big way for a short while. The Fighter class has more combat feats, special talents the character can choose to improve his fighting prowess. Thog is a Barbarian who optimized by taking a "dip" of 2 levels of Fighter, for 2 bonus feats, but stopped there since the 3rd Fighter level doesn't carry a bonus feat. However, Roy, as a straight Fighter, uses the Weapon Specialization feat that only Fighters of level 4 or higher can learn.

Strip 65: The Magic Words
In panel 5, we see Zz'dtri is unaffected by sleep because Elves are immune to Sleep spells. Forgetting this is particularly ironic from Vaarsuvius, who is also an elf.
In panel 10, we see that since Zz'dtri is a thinly veiled copy of Drizzt (see the entry for strip #44), Vaarsuvius invokes intellectual property law to have him removed from the scene, as happened to the Mind Flayer in strip 32.

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Strip 68: Unconscience
This strip illustrates the four basic directions of alignment in the D&D game: Evil, Good, Law, and Chaos (on both axes, the intermediate position is called Neutral).

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Strip 71: Career Girl
In panel 7, we see the goblins are carrying boxes labeled "this side up" upside down, "magic tomes" and "DVDs".

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Strip 73: Thor's Teachings
In panel 5, the monster references the"Atkins" diet, which was an extremely popular dieting method in the US in 2004, the year this strip was written.
In panel 7, WWTD is a parody of the classic phrase, WWJD (What Would Jesus Do).

Strip 74: Back from the Pit
In panels 10 and 14, the Flumphs, who originally appeared in Strip 55 are used to cushion characters as they fall, as they are famously weak monsters in D&D. This is a recurring appearances gag which you can find more information about their multiple appearances in the Reoccurring Gag section.
In panel 12, Hilga references a Will Save (see Glossary for information on saves). In the 2nd edition of the game, Saving Throws mechanics were quite different, and the Sanctuary spell didn't allow one at all.

Strip 75: The Blame Game
In panel 6, Belkar refers to Roy's mistake as "Epic-level". Generally Epic level refers to a special set of rules meant for extremely powerful characters (beyond level 20), but in this case he's using it as a pun to say it was a huge mistake.

Strip 76: She's a Sneaky One
In panel 5, we see Hilga reference Darkvision, which is a special ability of certain creatures to see in the dark. It doesn't need to be "turned on", but it is indeed used rarely, since adventuring parties nearly always are composed of a mix of difference character races and few of them have this ability.
In panel 10, Hilga references her "Stonecunning," which is an ability Dwarves have that gives them an innate feeling of the way stone constructions, tunnels, etc. are made.

Strip 77: A Battle of Attrition
In this strip, we see exhibited how a D&D cleric can convert any of their memorized spells into Cure Wounds spells, so this healing sequence could go on for a while. It is possible to kill an all-cleric party, but it takes more patience than the monster in this strip has.

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Strip 80: Replacement Cleric
In panel 12, Roy appears to have actually been smote by Banjo, by a tiny lightning bolt. He doesn’t appear to notice, however.

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Strip 82: Beats Pay-Per-View
In panel 1, we see Redcloak complain about Darkvision, because it doesn't work on magical darkness, only natural.

Strip 83: Pillow Talk
In panel 10, we see a reference to the fact that Dwarves are naturally resistant to poison, getting a +2 bonus to saves against it.

Strip 84: Saddest. Comic. Ever.
In panel 4, Durkon's line - "the right to the pursuit of happiness" refers to one of the most-often quoted phrases from the US Declaration of Independence.

Strip 85: The Elder Puppet
In panel 11, we see Roy has the knife Belkar threw in panel 9 sticking out of his rear.
In the last panel, we see Banjulu is reference to H.P.Lovecraft's Call of Cthulhu.

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Strip 87: Bathroom Humor
In panel 6, Elan mentions ECL. See the Glossary for more information.
In panel 7, we see that Durkon has toilet paper stuck to his foot.
In the last panel, the female Hobgoblin waiting in line was turned to stone by the Gorgon in front of her.

Strip 88: Getting Closer
In panel 8, Roy is holding Belkar behind his head so everyone can fit within the area of the invisibility spell.

Strip 89: Invisibility: The Lazy Artist's Friend
In the last panel, we see Roy mention that an Invisibility spell ends whenever the invisible creature makes an attack. However, attacking an invisible creature carries a 50% miss chance, which is what Belkar is referencing.

Strip 90: Consequences of a Failed Skill Check
In panel 2, we see the Goblin mention they only have a 10 Intelligence. See the Glossary for more information.
Also in panel 2, the Goblins mention Xvarts, which are another race of goblin-like creatures with a higher intelligence.

Strip 91: Proof That I am Deeply Disturbed [list][*]This entire strip is a reference to old Hostess comic ads. These would usually feature the heroes using the eponymous fruit pies or cupcakes to distract the villain, who would be foiled by his lust for delicious partially-hydrogenated artificially-flavored snacks. Fruit Pie the Sorcerer is an obvious take on Fruit Pie the Magician, an old mascot of the company. Further, the title of the comic is a reference to the kind of twisted mind that would lend to a scene in which goblins murder the Hostess mascot.
Strip 92: Reading is Fundamental
In Panel 2, Vaarsuvius references the Elves racial ability to detect secret or concealed doors when they come within 5 feet of it, providing they succeed in a search check - which it seems he/she did not.

Strip 93: Teenage Wasteland
In the 2nd panel, we see the Goblin with the glasses also has braces for his fangs.
In panel 11, the poster on the left is a poster for the music group – The Cure Light Wounds, which is a reference to the real life band – The Cure. In this same panel, we also see that teenaged Haley has an eyebrow ring.

Strip 94: The Path to Victory
In this strip, spoofs the tendency that typical D&D scenarios have in giving every place a ridiculously descriptive name by the scenario's creator. For instance, sometimes a grandiloquent name could be given to a room even though it isn't particularly important.

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Strip 97: Evil Plans
In panel 10, Xykon mentions he is a Lich, which is a powerful spellcaster that turned him or herself into an undead monstrosity through a death magic ritual.

Strip 98: Mmmmm...Tasty
In panel 1, the corridor's ridiculous name refers to the fact that we didn't see the party for three strips. It also continues the spoof started in Strip 94.
In panel 6, the term "Trap Sense" refers to the rogue class ability which gives Haley an edge over her companions when it comes to evading traps.
In panel 7, Belkar spoofs one the most famous lines of US political debate history, "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."
In panel 8, the characters reference the Craft skill, which can cover every possible item crafting check, described as Craft(Carpentry), Craft(Weapons), etc. Even though alchemy is an important factor of its own in the 3.5 version of D&D, it is listed just as one of the Craft subcategories, which can be confusing since in version 3.0, it was its own skill.

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2013-10-02, 05:41 PM
TheWombatOfDoom

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide
The Annotated Order of the Stick
Strips 101 to 200
Previous Page | Index | Next Page
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Strip 101: Man-to-Man Chat - No annotations yet

Strip 102: Lowbrow is the Best Brow
In panel 1, Roy mentions the cleric's Turn Undead ability, which can only be used a few times per day to...turn undead.
In Panel 2, Roy uses the Great Cleave feat, which allows another chance to attack every time a creature is killed.

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Strip 104: Dramatic Pre-Battle Speech
In panel 9, Roy refers to his party as "demihumans". In older editions of D&D, non-human PC races are grouped under this generic term. More modern editions deal with humans as just another race among the others, so the term isn't used much anymore.

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Strip 106: A Sure Bet
In panel 9, Redcloak expresses amazement at how easily Xykon fooled Roy earlier in the strip by saying he had "many skill ranks in Reverse Psychology", which isn't a real D&D skill. Basically, it's D&D humor that translates to "you're really good at reverse psychology!"

Strip 107: Defense is for Losers
In panel 3, Belkar is guarding V because in D&D, wizards have great power, but cannot wear armor and have the least hit points of any class (one 4-sided die per level). This is why it is wise to have somebody play the role of bodyguard in the case of a large melee.
In panel 13, V refers to one of D&D's many weird or illogical rules. This rule states that elves are specifically immune to a ghoul's paralyzing touch power, while not ghasts, who are creatures identical to ghouls in virtually every respect, save this one difference. So, V would not be able to distinguish between the two types of enemies, other than by being hit.

Strip 108: Help from Above
In panel 3, we see can see Roy in the bottom of the panel, fighting Goblins with his sword glowing.

Strip 109: Tensions Rise
In panel 2, Elan guesses that he was able to get through the goblins so well because the goblins failed to understand the rules of Attacks of Opportunity, which is indeed one of the more complex rules in the game. Instead, it was due to Elan's use of the Tumble skill that allowed him to get past the goblins. To see more on Attacks of Opportunity, see the glossary in the first post.

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Strip 112: Shatter
The title names the spell that Xykon casts in panel 12. He doesn't utter the name of the spell, but this and the sound effect reveals the spell he used to destroy Roy's sword.

Strip 113: Memories, Like the Edges of My Sword
In panel 1, Haley and Elan are still under the effects of Xykon's Symbol of Pain spell cast in Strip 110, while Vaarsuvius is paralyzed from the ghast's touch that occurred in Strip 107.
In panel 2, Redcloak counters Durkon's Turn Undead power by using the evil cleric's opposite power, Bolster Undead. Stab Undead isn't a special power Belkar has, its just making fun of the other two shouting their abilities out loud.
Panel 7: We see Roy’s brother Eric’s first appearance, hiding behind their mother’s chair.

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Strip 115: Dust in the Wind
In panel 3, Belkar references Lou Ferrigno, who is an American actor and bodybuilder, famous for his role as the Incredible Hulk.

Strip 116: Finding Stuff
In panel 12, Haley is listing the 3 classifications for magical objects in D&D: minor, major, and the most powerful of all, artifacts.

Strip 117: Delayed Gratification
In Panel 3, the Monster in the Dark say's "Whatchootalkin' 'bout, Redcloak?" which is a parody of the catchphrase "What'chu talkin' 'bout, X?" from the TV series, Diffr'ent Strokes.
In panel 6, Redcloak reveals that his holy symbol is Xykon's phylactery. A Lich, which is a spellcaster that has used a powerful magic ritual to becomes undead, can hide his/her soul in a magic item called a phylactery, so that they can regenerate after being destroyed. Later, we will see Xykon slowly recovering his body thanks to the phylactery's power.
Panel 8: Xykon is making a baseball analogy, which basically says you shouldn't waste your best trick on a battle you are losing, and opt for looking at the long game.

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Strip 119: Hollywood, Eat Your Heart Out
In Panel 1, Belkar shouts, "Game over man! Game over!" This is a direct quote from the movie, Aliens.
In panel 11, Elan tells Vin Diesel to "Eat your heart out!" This is an idiom which when used, infers that you believe you can do that thing better than the person mentioned. Generally this person is famous for doing that thing. Vin Diesel, who is an actor in major action movies. These movies often include escaping large explosions.

Strip 120: The End of the Beginning
In panel 2, the Flumphs, who originally appeared in Strip 55 are once again used to cushion characters as they fall, as they are famously weak monsters in D&D. This is a recurring appearances gag which you can find more information about their multiple appearances in the Reoccurring Gag section.
Panel 12: The mysterious character with the blue cloak is Miko, who will be revealed in Strip 200.

Strip 121: The Return of Mail Call
Panel 3: Indeed, the d12 (12-sided die) is by far the least used of the classic 6 types of dice required to play D&D. It's main uses are detailed in the panel 4 dialogue.
In panel 5, Belkar believes he can insult barbarians with impunity because the barbarian is the only class that is illiterate at the time of character creation.
In pane 11, the left pirate is uncorking the bottle with a hook hand.
In panel 12, Belkar infers that because he has low ranks in the spot skill, and Ninjas have high ranks in the hide skill, he can't see them.

Strip 122: Adventurers Are Coming! Adventurers Are Coming!
This strip spoofs the typically high prices of common goods when adventurers must buy them, revealing that they are actually usually lower until prices inflate when adventurers arrive.
In Panel 10, the girl selling apples has changed into skimpier clothes in preparation for the arrival of the Order of the Stick.

Strip 123: Double Your Entendre, Double Your Fun
This strip is the source of many opinions as to Vaarsuvius' gender. A closer look at the text shows that the wizard doesn't actually reveal anything in that regard.

Strip 124: Ding!
In panel 1, the dialogue between Haley and Roy calls back to a similar exchange that occurred in Strip 12.
In panel 8, Belkar attempts to kill something in order to gain enough XP to level up. He doesn't because D&D has rules to prevent players from abusing the system. For example a monster that poses no danger to the character (such as the rat here) doesn't provide any XP at all. For more on XP, see the Glossary.

Strip 125: Free Experience
In panel 10, Belkar references the rule in D&D that allows a Dungeon Master to award XP for good roleplaying. Having failed to gain a new level through defeating monsters, Belkar hypocritically exploits the rules with fake sorrow.

Strip 126: Multiclass Struggles
In Panel 1, Belkar states he intends to Multiclass. Multiclassing is a way for character to have levels in more than one class, usually at a penalty than someone who is purely that class.
In Panel 5, Elan refers to the D&D ruling that multiclassing can be explained by assuming that learning can occur outside of normal game sessions ("off-panel", in comic terms). Elan exploits this to claim a level in wizards without having actually studied anything.

Strip 127: New Wizard in Town
In Panel 2, Elan's staff is topped with a Magic 8-Ball, presumably because it has the word "magic" in the title.
In panel 1, V is eating a grapefruit because he/she is vegetarian. This is a Reoccurring Gag.

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Strip 129: Rock Solid Investment
In these panels, Haley spoofs a typical sequence of D&D gameplay: The division of the loot. Often this may cause bickering between players to get equal shares, since it is likely that not everything is of the same value to each player. Rogues like Haley are the only ones with ranks in the Appraise skill, and therefore the only ones able to assess the monetary value of each object. Rogues are also normally not the most trustworthy characters can be known to exploit their companions. This is why the rogue's assessment isn't always trusted, a fact that Haley cleverly uses to trick the others here.

Strip 130: Itempalooza
In Panel 2, the Amulet of Natural Armor magically thickens the skin, giving a bonus to Armor Class.
In Panel 3, the Ring of Jumping +20 adds +20 to Belkar's jump skill checks.
In Panel 4, the Ring of Wizardry will allow V to memorize more spells.
In Panel 5, the Bag of Holding can store a huge amount of stuff without actually increasing in weight, because it is stored in an extra-dimensional pocket.
In Panel 7, the Boots of Elvenkind help their wearer reduce the noise they make when they move.

Strip 131: Money Makes the World Go Round
In panel 7, Haley's letter foreshadows the plot point that will occur in Strip 758.

Strip 132: Kindred Spirits
In Panel 4, Gortok's claims refer to a barbarian's class features, notably - Rage, which boosts a character's Strength and Constitution temporarily. The barbarian also has a higher movement than most characters.
In Panel 5, Gortok's claims reference that a barbarian rolls 1d12 per level for hit points, the highest die of any class.

Strip 133: Standardized Testing
In panel 4, we see that Kuurkk the Anemic is paler than everyone else, because he/she is anemic.

Strip 134: Craft (Plotline)
In Panel 7, the Blacksmith mentions that clerics have few skill points. Each character class gets a certain number of skill points per level, plus bonus points for high Intelligence. Clerics get a low base number to begin with, and nearly always prioritize other ability scores than Intelligence, typically leaving them with some of the lowest skill point counts in the game.
In Panel 12, Roy references side quests, which are a smaller stories with little or no connection to the main plot.

Strip 135: Potionomics
In this comic, V points out that the real-world concept of economy of scale doesn't apply to magic in D&D. Making a potion always costs the same amount, no matter how many you make. Eve and Larry fail to grasp that basic fact, and are indeed headed to bankruptcy.

Strip 136: It's Not a Gaming Session Until Someone Quotes Monty Python
In this strip we have multiple references to Monty Python’s Flying Circus sketches. The main exchange between Roy and the Polearm Salesman is an homage to the Cheese Shop Sketch.
In page 2, panel 2; the cat dragging in a dead parrot references the Dead Parrot Sketch.
In page 2, panel 4; the dialogue references the Spam sketch.
In page 2, panel 8; we see the cat drag in a python, furthering the reference to Monty Python in general.

Strip 137: Teh Gewd Gods
In panel 9, we see that the lawyer puppet has a tiny PCLU lettering on its tiny briefcase, which stands for "Puppet Civil Liberties Union".
In panel 10, Banjo goes from having horns to becoming hornless after he is denied joining the Parthenon by the priest of Freya.

Strip 138: Tomorrow's Technology Today
In panel 6, we see Durkon’s turning blue due to asphyxiation from being in an airtight bubble.

Strip 139: How to Keep the Party Together
In Panel 11, Roy rolls a 20 on his Bluff check, which allows him to convince the group to come with him even though he is giving increasingly unbelievable lies. Roy states he is untrained in the Bluff skill, which means he didn't put any ranks in this skill. Fortunately for him, a roll of 20 on the skill check allows him to get away with it.

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Strip 140: My Little Pony - No annotations yet

Strip 141: Horse Sense -
In Panels 1 and 2, the conversation pertains to the fact that the official D&D rules allow characters to ride mounts without any ranks in the Ride skill. But, for the sake of realism, some DMs will rule that at least 1 rank is required for basic riding, which is likely why Roy took 1 in this skill.
In Panel 9, Haley mentions Ride being a cross-class skill. Each class has "class skills", meaning those characters are suited to perform well in those skills. Other skills are called "cross-class skills" for this class: They're usable, but with stiff limitations.

Strip 142: Misdirection and Subterfuge
In panel 5, we see some of the townspeople are running away or scared due to seeing Sabine in her natural form.

Strip 143: Do-Over
The title and events in the strip reference a phenomenon in D&D where the DM makes an action with a monster or NPC, and a player have an argument to make about that said action. Typically a conversation is had, and if the player convinces the DM, things retroactively occur. In this case, Haley and Roy claim that the horses should get rolls, too. The DM, voiced by the monsters, reluctantly lets that pass, and complains about the discussion slowing the game down. The whole thing turns out to be for nothing as the horses fail their as well.
In Panel 11, the Ogre mentions "Oprah being on at 4", which references a popular American Television show named The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Strip 144: Pop Goes the Weasel
In panel 3, Haley points out that "any other class" has a way to defend themselves without a weapon. While this is not precisely true, the fighter class is centered around the weapons they use as they don't have spells, unarmed combat, or other things to assist them, making Roy effectively useless at the present time.
In Panel 5, Roy quotes an iconic line from the fictional western character - Lone Ranger.
In panel 10, Durkon references the popular line - "He chose...poorly" from the film, "Indiana Jones and the last Crusade".

Strip 145: Mr(s). Wizard Explains It All
In this strip, V is exposing a classic case of "meta-gaming", where the character acts in a seemingly illogical way, only because the player knows the dynamics of the game.
In Panel 6, V menitons random encounters, which are fights with monsters without any relation to the plot. Most DMs plan for few of them, so that the game doesn't fall into a string of pointless battles from point A to point B. V exploits this by using lots of spells without any thought of economy.
In Panel 11, the exchange between Elan and V where V says "Knowing is half the battle" is a reference to the final line in each episode of the 1980s G.I. Joe animated TV series.

Strip 146: Role Reversal
In Panel 2, the exchange between Roy and Haley reference how a typical D&D party will stop to rest (no matter the actual time of the day) whenever their resources are running low, such as spells, which can be renewed after a 8 hours of sleep. This brings the full party's power to every important fight, but causes a weird cycle of activity, sometimes known as the "5-minute adventuring day" because spells can get exhausted very quickly in a fight.

Strip 147: The Light at the End of the Tunnel
In Panel 1, the roaches make a reference to a reoccurring gag in animated TV series, "The Smurphs" where characters ask, "Is it much farther, Papa Smurph?".
In Panel 2, Redcloak explains the nature of the phylactery, a powerful device that a lich uses to protect his spirit. As long as the phylactery exists, a lich can't be truly destroyed. This will become a critical plot point in Strip 462 and later.
In Panel 5, the demon roach references "He shoots, he scores", which is a classic catchphrase in hockey commentary.

Strip 148: Hobgoblins and You
In Panel 10, one might be led to believe that Xykon makes a reference to the TV series, Orange is the New Black. However, the strip was made several years before the TV show aired, or before the book it is based on was published. In fact, expressions such as "X is the new black", originating in the fashion industry, have been in existence since at least the 1980s.

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Strip 150: A Comic as Lovely as a Tree
The title of this strip is a reference to the poem "Trees" by Joyce KIlmer. The poem starts with the lines: "I think that I shall never see, A poem lovely as a tree."
In Panel 1, "Local" with a number attached would be a typical name for a trade union group in the United States.
In Panel 8, Durkon tries to explain his irrational fear of trees with D&D battle statistics which are correct, and impressive, save for the fact that normal trees can't attack in D&D.
In Panel 11, Durkon makes a reference to the philosophical question, "if a tree falls alone in the forest, does it make a sound?"

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Strip 151: Learning Experience - No annotations yet

Strip 152: Arrow Time
In Panel 3, Durkon's dialogue is a reference to the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC where 300 Spartans defended against a much larger invasion force of Persians. The historian Herodotus writes that when Dienekes, a Spartan soldier, was informed that Persian arrows would be so numerous as "to block out the sun", he retorted, unconcerned: "So much the better...then we shall fight our battle in the shade."

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Strip 154: One Bird with Two Dozen Arrows
In panel 4, V is referencing a common instance in D&D where a player would often forget his or her familiar was present, and so forget to describe its movements on a regular basis. So the familiar would "pop up" whenever its abilities were needed, thus giving the player a reason to describe its location/activity. This is a Reoccurring Gag in the comic.

Strip 155: Time is On My Side
In panels 1 - 3, V describes the abilities a Sorcerer's Familiar, and then it disappears when he/she is no longer talking about it. This is a reference to a common instance in D&D where a player would often forget his or her familiar was present, and so forget to describe its movements on a regular basis. This is a Reoccurring Gag in the comic.
In Panel 9, Haley exhibits what happens in D&D games when there's downtime: The DM simply skips over the uninteresting hours of the day. The joke comes from the character understanding game table dynamics as real things happening in her own world.

Strip 156: Cunning Escape
In panel 1, we see a sign reading Definitely NOT a Bandit Camp, when it most certainly is one.
In Panel 4, the boots Elan puts on are the Boots of Elvenkind that he gets in Strip 130, which help their wearer reduce the noise they make when they move.

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Strip 158: The Economics of Banditry
In Panels 2 - 9, Haley is describing mechanics in D&D rules where value of a character's gear (mostly, magical equipment enhancing their powers) is dependent on their level to balance gameplay. Only high-level character will have the most powerful and expensive magical equipment. Haley is broadly correct: Considering the prices of goods as listed in the rules, it would be difficult for bandits in large numbers to survive solely by preying on adventuring groups they can realistically beat.
In Panel 10, Haley has a typical player reaction of being dismissive of any but the most powerful NPC. Unwise, in this instance...

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Strip 159: Plotus Interruptus - No annotations yet

Strip 160: The Jell-O Pit Wasn't Available - No annotations yet

Strip 161: Captives
In Panel 1, Haley is referring to the paladin's iconic power to "Smite Evil".

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Strip 162: Soliloquy - No annotations yet

Strip 163: A Man, A Dwarf, and a Kitty - No annotations yet

Strip 164: Here He Comes, To Save the Day! - No annotations yet

Strip 165: Hangin' Around[*]In Panel 9, Roy is referencing the D&D rule for sneak attack that allows a rogue to use only when the target is flat footed. In this case, if Roy were surprised by them, it would be a sneak attack, which could have been a lot more dangerous to Roy.[/list]
Strip 166: Wolverine, Eat Your Heart Out
The title of this strip, references the saying "Eat your heart out!" This is an idiom which when used, infers that you believe you can do that thing better than the person mentioned. Generally this person is famous for doing that thing. The comic book character"Wolverine" often would perform a "Fastball Special" where his teammates would throw him at their enemies, which the final panel is parodying with Belkar's "Teatherball Special".
In Panel 2, Haley's dialogue refers to the D&D rule that allows characters to speak as a free action. A character can only perform a certain number of actions (one move action and one standard action) in a round of combat, plus any number of free actions, such as speaking. Around a game table, a round of combat (which is supposed to last 6 seconds) will often include long discussions between players, stretching the credibility of this rule. The conversation between Haley, Roy and V is an example of this. In accordance to the rules, their enemies are left waiting during that time.

Strip 167: Don't Question the Color of the Bag
The title of this strip refers to Roy's Bag of Tricks, which has the properties of a grey bag of tricks, in that it releases cats, rats, weasels and badgers. However, in the last panel it releases a Rhino, which is only contained in the tan Bag of Tricks. So Roy's bag doesn't actually follow the rules for any particular color of bag of tricks. Rich knew people would try to point this out to him, so "Don't Question the Color of the Bag" means "I know a Bag of Tricks really doesn't work like this"
In Panel 1, the Rapid Shot feat allows the archer to fire an additional arrow in the same round, at the expense of accuracy.

Strip 168: Running on Empty
In Panel 7, Haley mention's the "DC is just too high." The DC is the Difficulty Class of the spell's saving throw. Samantha is very powerful, and Haley's saving throw failed against her high DC.

Strip 169: The Enemy of My Enemy is a Tree
In Panel 2, the bandit leader points out that his daughter never took the Silent Spell or Still Spell feats. Silent Spell allows a cast to use a spell without uttering the magic incantations, while Still Spell eschews the magic gestures. Without those feats, a tied up and gagged sorcerer is powerless.

Strip 170: He's Still a Dwarf at Heart
In Panel 10, "WWTD?" ("What Would Thor Do?") on the mug is a spoof on the Christian moral exhortation, "What Would Jesus Do?", often shortened to "WWJD?"

Strip 171: The Prisoner Dilemma
In Panel 2, Belkar mentions the Sense Motive skill. Sense Motive lets a character assess others' intentions and discern lies.
In Panel 10, Belkar is quoting the 8th amendment of the US constitution.

Strip 172: Cure Moderate Hurt Feelings
In Panel 2, Haley is referencing the In D&D rules, characters abilities change when they age, as reflected in Age Category ranges.

Strip 173: It Is Always Exactly Where They Intend It to Be
In Panel 1, Elan is correct - The horses were totally ignored and went off-panel ever since the bandit ambush in Strip 151, and we never saw the Order dropping them off. Roy's comment back is playing up the fact that not everything equally makes sense in D&D rules.
In Panel 1, the sign shows that this horse park is severely overpriced, considering that 5 silver (worth half a gold) would buy meals in a basic quality inn for a day.

Strip 174: Interlude of Dooooooom!
In Panel 5, the real Blacksmith from Strip 142) recounts his ordeal at the hands of Nale and Thog, but coincidentally, his description applies to Elan and Roy.
In panel 6, Miko is speaking with Gortok the Destroyer from the Barbarian Guild in strip 132. Miko is holding the same pamphlet that Belkar was given as well.
In Panel 8, Miko is speaking with the weasel from Strip 144.

Strip 175: Darn You to Hex
In Panel 2, the map references the early days of D&D where all maps were drawn on a hexagon pattern, reflecting the games origins in tactical war games. V explains in the technical advantages of that pattern in Panel 6 over a more basic square pattern.
In Panel 9, the new monster is a hag, with magical powers to call hexes (or curses) on opponents, which is why she's impressed that Roy is excited about them.

Strip 176: Leaping Lizards
In Panel 2, Roy realizes the inherent disadvantage of the hex pattern: Straight runs are a lot harder to assess unless one is moving in one of the 6 hex directions.
In Panel 4, Belkar's use of the Rage ability shows that he indeed took a level of barbarian.
In Panel 7, Roy quotes one of the most quirky rules of the game: It's possible to roll high enough on a long jump that the jump's distance is longer than what the character can move in one round. In that case, movement ends in the next round.
In Panel 10, V's transformation is a result of the hag's hex in Panel 2.

Strip 177: Ch-ch-ch-changes
In Panel 12, Belkar tries and fails to resolve the mystery of Vaarsuvius's gender ambiguity.

Strip 178: The Early Bird Catches the Wizard
In Panel 1, V mentions Somatic components, which are the gestures necessary to cast the vast majority of spells. V finds only 3 exceptions in the spellbook.
In Panel 3, V echo's the opinions of generations of players who have considered Hold Portal to be one of the least useful spells in the game.
In Panel 11, Blackwing fails to recognize his master, and will only realize his error later in Strip 714.

Strip 179: Liar, Liar
In Panel 14, Vaarsuvius parodies a quote from Emperor Palpatine, in the film, Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi.

Strip 180: Falling for You
In Panel 1, Roy shuts down any discussion of the imaginary giants guarding the place which he convinced the party of in Strip 139.
In Panel 3, V mention's a bard is an arcane caster just like a Wizard or Sorceror (as opposed to clerics and druids who are divine casters). The bard is a much less powerful caster than the wizard, but of course there are other reasons for V to dismiss Elan's effectiveness. Nevertheless, Elan uses his Inspire Competence ability to attempt to assist the party's climb.

Strip 181: Cursing the Darkness
In Panel 1, Elan uses his Inspire Competence ability in a completely useless manner. The group doesn't need help to walk through a corridor.
In Panel 3, V mention's the Spellcraft skill, which is used to identify magical effects.
In Panel 5, Durkon cannot see because the spell Darkness is a magical darkness so deep that it foils a Dwarf's Darkvision ability.

Strip 182: Probability
In Panel 7, V is counting on the fact that a natural roll of 1 is always a failure to defeat the dragon's very high Will save bonus.

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Strip 183: Spit and/or Swallow - No annotations yet

Strip 184: Hawaiian Love
In panel 1, we see that Haley’s left shoe has come off from the dragon swallowing her, and then throwing her up.
In Panel 1, V's dialogue is a reference to the quote, "That will do, pig, that will do," from the film, "Babe."

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Strip 185: The Time Killers - No annotations yet

Strip 186: Return of the Elf
In Panel 8, the Black Dragon sings the nursery song, The Wheels on the Bus.

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Strip 187: Love At First Sight - No annotations yet

Strip 188: A Matter of Perspective
Panel 6: V will only fully understand the implications of this in Strip 628.

Strip 189: Tied Up Nicely
In Panel 12, Miko mentions the Gather Information skill, which acts as a shortcut for finding out things a character needs to know, without going into the roleplaying of finding knowledgeable people and asking them for information.

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Strip 191: Dungeon Real Estate
In Panel 1, the punch line to the Roach's joke is Rocky Road, which is a flavor of ice cream that is popular in the USA.
In Panel 3, Xykon is referring the fact that any dungeon in a D&D scenario is always filled with monsters, often without any story connection so that it is a challenge to explore.

Strip 192: Everything Sits Better on a Ritz
In Panel 4, Red Cloak references Spell Resistance, which is an ability of many powerful monsters. The ability makes them impervious to magic unless the caster rolls a die roll that can beat it, a task lower spell casters find hard to accomplish.

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Strip 193: Because Good is Dumb - No annotations yet

Strip 194: You Light Up My Life
In Panel 2, Xykon references that the D&D Monster Manual has a great many more Evil than Good monsters, precisely for the reason Xykon points out.
In panel 4, the Lantern Archons are quoting from DC Comic's Green Lantern. It's the oath that Hal Jordan, one of the incarnations of Green Lantern, commonly used to charge his ring.
In Panel 4, the "Kyle" the Demon Roach is talking about is Kyle Raynor, one of the other incarnations of the Green Lantern.
In Panel 8, Red Cloak is questioning how XP works for "defeating" monsters. Usually, this means killing them or making them flee. Here, the MITD's "method" is certainly novel.

Strip 195: Book Nook
In Panel 1, the dead silver dragon pictured will later be reanimated as a zombie dragon and reappear in Strip 428.
In Panel 5, Xykon mentions the Tome of Clear Thought, which is a very powerful magical item. Reading it will permanently raise the reader's Intelligence score. Xykon contrasts it with Dianetics, which isn't real science.

Strip 196: The Diary
In this strip, the events that Xykon and Redcloak are referring to are recounted in Start of Darkness.

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Strip 197: A Change of Scale - No annotations yet

Strip 198: The Great Kazoo
This strip's title is a reference to the character The Great Gazoo from the TV cartoon, "The Flintstones".
In panel 1, the Belkar exclaiming "that took WEEKS" and Elan having a sprained wrist was actually a reference to the artist, Rich Burlew, having sprained his wrist in real life, and so there were a few weeks delay between the previous strip and this strip.
In Panel 4, Roy mentions the item Bag of Holding, which can store a huge amount of items, without actually increasing in weight.
In Panel 11, Roy references the Perform and Knowledge skills. There is different Perform skill for every musical instrument or artistic performance type (Perform (Comedy), Perform (Dance), Perform (String Instruments), etc), and a number of different Knowledge skills covering different fields (Knowledge (Nature), Knowledge (Engineering), etc). Of course, the ones Roy mentions are jokes.

Strip 199: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night
The title of this strip is a well known phrase that is used in literature to set a melodramatic mood, and is also used in parody as well. In this case, we have both.
In Panel 5, Roy refereces Chicken Little, which is a classic folk tale, also known as Henny Penny in the UK.
In panel 7, Elan states that it only ever rains when someone tries to kill someone else, someone is revealed to be a traitor, or someone kisses someone for the first time. Strip 200 shows us that all three of Elan’s statements seem to happen.

Strip 200: The Confrontation
On Page 1, panel 4, Haley names the item as a tanglefoot bag, which is an alchemical preparation. The contents spill over the targeted creature, instantly hardening and hampering movement, including that necessary for spellcasting which causes several of V's spells will fizzle in this fight.
On Page 2, panel 1, Windstriker is a loyal, intelligent mount Miko gets as part of her Paladin class feature.
On Page 2, panel 2, Belkar is referencing the rules for Grappling. Grappling is a combat maneuver to restrain your opponents. Large creatures, such as a horse, have a bonus on the roll, while Small creatures such as the Halfling Belkar have a penalty. The rules don't make a distinction for creatures having no hands, so the not-very-realistic tactic of getting a horse to grapple soemone is technically valid.
On Page 2, panel 9, Elan remarks that Miko took no damage from the fireball. Like Haley, Miko has the Evasion ability - If she makes her Reflex save, she takes no damage at all from such an attack, while other characters take half damge on a successful save. Evasion isn't a paladin ability, which means Miko has levels in another class.
On Page 3, panel 6, Belkar's can't use his Wild Empathy ability from the ranger class because Windstriker is a magically bonded Paladin mount. The ability only allows him to befriend a normal animal.
On Page 3, panel 11, Roy references Flanking, which is a tactic by which two can attack someone on either side. This provides a bonus to the attack roll, and opens the possibility of Sneak Attack for rogues.
On Page 4, panel 4, Miko uses Stunning Fist (or Kick), a monk ability. Haley is Stunned, and can't attack for one round.
On Page 4, panel 4, Haley sings the song "I am Henry the 8th, I am", which is a British music hall song
On Page 4, panel 11, Miko is using the Smite Evil paladin ability. It would do a lot of additional damage to Roy if he were of an evil alignment.
In Strip 199, Elan says that only three things happen when it rains - someone tries to kill someone else, someone is revealed to be a traitor, or someone kisses someone for the first time. This strip shows all three of these predictions come true:
In page 4, last panel; Miko tries to kill Roy.
In page 2, panel 4; Durkon seems to be betraying the group.
In page 3, panel 4; Haley kisses Elan on the cheek, which is the first time she kisses him.
2013-10-02, 05:44 PM
TheWombatOfDoom

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide
The Annotated Order of the Stick
Strips 201 to 300
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Spoiler: Strips 201-300
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Strip 201: Seeing Signs - No annotations yet

Strip 202: Scanning... - No annotations yet

Strip 203: Just the Facts, Ma'am - No annotations yet

Strip 204: What's My Motivation? - No annotations yet

Strip 205: A Is Always A - No annotations yet

Strip 206: Hidden Benefit of Being an Adventurer - No annotations yet

Strip 207: Now If Only We Could Organize the Fiends Somehow - No annotations yet

Strip 208: A Battle of Wits
In Panel 5, Belkar's dialogue references an instance in some video games called integer overflow, where limited storage within a program could cause such an instance to occur.

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Strip 209: Multiclass Discrimination - No annotations yet

Strip 210: Displaced Persons - No annotations yet

Strip 211: The Hook - No annotations yet

Strip 212: Dirt Farm
In panel 9, Belkar's line about ogres ogres "making a very agreeable thump when they hit the ground" is a direct quote from the Babylon 5 TV series. The original quote - "No moral ambiguities, no hopeless battle against ancient and overwhelming forces. They were the bad guys, we were the good guys, and they made a very agreeable thump when they hit the floor!" is from season 3, episode 13; entitled - "A Late Delivery from Avalon".

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Strip 213: The Man Knows His Limitations - No annotations yet

Strip 214: No Plan Survives Contact with One's Allies - No annotations yet

Strip 215: Taking Charge - No annotations yet

Strip 216: Perfect Combo - No annotations yet

Strip 217: Now in Ogrevision! - No annotations yet

Strip 218: OD&D - No annotations yet

Strip 219: No Joke Too Cliched
In panel 1, Belkar’s line, Ahhh, there it is… is in reference to what he said in Strip 212, in panel 9, where he says that - Ogres make a very satisfying thump when they hit the ground.

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Strip 220: For a Reasonable Fee - No annotations yet

Strip 221: Recycling Works - No annotations yet

Strip 222: A Blissful Marriage - No annotations yet

Strip 223: Love, in the Abstract - No annotations yet

Strip 224: Groggy, Groggy, Groggy
In panel 2, Roy makes a reference to the video game Guantlet, where when someone is low on health, they are referred to as needing food badly.

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Strip 225: Checking In - No annotations yet

Strip 226: Who's On the Throne? - No annotations yet

Strip 227: AR&R
In panel 1, we see that Roy has been given pink bunny slippers as part of his royal pampering.
In panel 6, the shadow dancer assassin is peeking through the window.

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Strip 228: Unlawful Good - No annotations yet

Strip 229: No Offense, Aaron - No annotations yet

Strip 230: The Law Strikes Back - No annotations yet

Strip 231: From the Mouths of Babes - No annotations yet

Strip 232: Because They Got Lonely in the Bag - No annotations yet

Strip 233: No Thread Left Untied - No annotations yet

Strip 234: The Ultimate Sacrifice
In Panel 2, Elan states he kept the belt because he "was curious," which is a reference to the title of Strip 9, "I Am Curious, Elan" where they first encounter the belt.

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Strip 235: Oddly, He Can Still Get Dressed in Under a Minute - No annotations yet

Strip 236: Mean Girl
In panel 8, Haley’s line makes a joke about an evil twin raised by a warlord father, which references Elan’s backstory.

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Strip 237: Growing Some - No annotations yet

Strip 238: You Try Rhyming 'Assassin' - No annotations yet

Strip 239: Roy's Angels
In Panel 13, V, Roy and Haley's silhouette is a reference to the title card for TV series, "Charlie's Angels". The strip's title parodies the show by calling it "Roy's Angels" instead.

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Strip 240: Next on Fox: When Whores Attack! - No annotations yet

Strip 241: Talking Down - No annotations yet

Strip 242: Chekov's Law Realized
In Panel 9, V's dialogue, "I blame Cerebus," references Cerebus the Aardvark, an acclaimed comic book series by Dave Sim. It started out as light, episodic, and comedic, then assumed dramatic elements into a more detailed plot arc with coherent continuity. This process is sometimes known as "Cerebus Syndrome".

Strip 243: No Flair for the Dramatic
In Panel 9, Haley references "Sophie's choice", a novel and film about a woman who is forced to make a choice: she can save one and only one of her two children from the Nazi holocaust.

Strip 244: What? It's a Legitimate Magic Item
The title of this comic refers Belkar's mention in Panel 12 of the "Rod of Lordly Might", which indeed has a button that can extend the rod into a climbing pole.

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Strip 245: Easy Come, Easy Go - No annotations yet

Strip 246: Rumors of Her Death
In Panel 9, Miko points out the King of Somewhere, who can later be seen in Panel 1 of Strip 250 leaving with his guard.

Strip 247: It's Just Aphasia She's Going Through
In Panel 5, this is the first time Haley will speak in Cryptogram, and she will continue speaking in Cryptogram until Strip 393. To see what Haley is actually saying, please see the translation thread, or visit the Transcription of the Strip.
In panel 5, Elan thinks Haley's cryptograms are a foreign language. In Strip 384, Nale will have the same reaction.

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Strip 248: Blame the Hormones - No annotations yet

Strip 249: Return of the Trouser Titan - No annotations yet

Strip 250: Oh no, he DIDN'T!
In Panel 1, we see the King of Somewhere leaving with his guard in the bottom left corner of the panel.

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Strip 251: A Piece of His Mind - No annotations yet

Strip 252: Linear Storytelling
In Panels 3 & 6, Nale and Sabine have different opinions about V's gender. Nale calls V an "elf-chick", while Sabine calls V an "elf dude".

Strip 253: Larry Gardener and the Angry Half-Orc
In panel 1, "Warthog's School for Wizardry and Sorcery" is a play on "Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry", the central setting of the Harry Potter book series.
In panel 2, we see play on the title character of the Harry Potter series - Larry Gardener. He resembles the book character a great deal, right down to the lightning bolt scar on his forehead.

Strip 254: Half the Elf, Double the Fun
In panel 1, we see a continuance of the Harry Potter reference theme from the previous Strip, as "He who must not be named" is a euphemism used by the general populace to refer to the main villian of the series out of fear.
In panel 4, we see a reference tp the pop singer Prince, who changed his name to an unpronouncable symbol in 1991. Due to the unpronouncable nature of this symbol, he was referred to as "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince."
In panel 5, the head master introduces Pompey. His name is a play on that Pompey (the opposite of Vaarsuvius in the Linear Guild) is a reference to Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii. To further the opposite theme, his hair is the same as Vaarsuvius’ robe color, and his robes match Vaarsuvius’ hair color.
In panel 9, we see that Pompey is depicted as a half elf by only having one elf ear. Nale points this out in panel 13, by calling him ear boy.

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Strip 255: Meep meep! - No annotations yet

Strip 256: Six Degrees of Evil Separation –
In panel 6, Nale references the recent story arc in strip 234 where Roy actually DID have a gender swap, but not for self indulgent reasons at all.

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Strip 257: POW! - No annotations yet

Strip 258: I Think That Violates the Geneva Convention - No annotations yet

Strip 259: Son of Mail Call - No annotations yet

Strip 260: The Prison Blues
In Panel 2, Durkon's dialogue, "I be a healer not a footstool," is a parody of a running gag line "I'm a doctor, not a ______" frequently said by various medical personnel in the TV show and Film series, Star Trek. In Strip 458, Thog will express the exact opposite sentiment when he is locked in the same room.

Strip 261: I Smell a Solo Adventure
In panel 5, the line about emotional distress is in reference to strip 225, where Belkar claims he needs his own room due to Durkon’s snoring, which would cause emotional distress.
In panel 10, Belkar knocks the guard against the top of the panel.

Strip 262: All You Need is Love and Improvised Thieves' Tools
In Panel 2, Haley's improvised lock picks are pieces of straw from her mattress.

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Strip 263: The Great Escape - No annotations yet

Strip 264: I Cannae Tell a Lie - No annotations yet

Strip 265: A Tale of Two Paladins - No annotations yet

Strip 266: Guessing Game - No annotations yet

Strip 267: The Cat Behind the Throne - No annotations yet

Strip 268: The Lawyers Strike Back - No annotations yet

Strip 269: A Familiar Face
In panel 2, Durkon is confused as to who Celia is because he was separated from the group when the others met her, in strip 72.
In panel 6, we see that Durkon’s hatred of trees extends to Dryads, where he calls them leafy wankers.

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Strip 270: Dueling Egos - No annotations yet

Strip 271: The Prosecution's Case
In panel 1, we see that the Chair of Truth has its own spotlight.
In panel 6, we see the old man is the same old man from strip 122.
In panel 7, we see that the psychiatrist that appears in panel 7 is the same one that appears later in strip 346.

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Strip 272: The Big Secret - No annotations yet

Strip 273: The Crayons of Time: Doodles on the Sketch Pad of Eternity - No annotations yet

Strip 274: The Crayons of Time: The Snarl - No annotations yet

Strip 275: The Crayons of Time: World 2.0 - No annotations yet

Strip 276: The Crayons of Time: The Order of the Scribble
In page 2, last panel, we see the explanation as to why there wasn’t a water dungeon within Dorukan’s Dungeon as depicted in strip 47, and why Celia was able to crash through the ceiling as seen in strip 69 after she was turned to stone.

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Strip 277: The Crayons of Time: Breaking Up is Hard to Do - No annotations yet

Strip 278: A New Strategy - No annotations yet

Strip 279: No Soup for You - No annotations yet

Strip 280: The Boot - No annotations yet

Strip 281: Get the Lead Out - No annotations yet

Strip 282: Closing Arguments
In this strip, we see that the only time the lawyers get a spotlight during the trial is when they are making their closing arguments.

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Strip 283: Rock the Vote - No annotations yet

Strip 284: Shattered Expectations
In page 1, last panel; we see Hinjo passing out the groups items as instructed by Shojo, starting with Elan and Haley. Hinjo is still holding Roy’s Bag of Tricks, Shattered Ancestral sword, Club, and Durkon’s Hammer.
In page 2, panel 3; Hinjo completes passing out equipment with Durkon’s hammer.

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Strip 285: A Moment of Truth - No annotations yet

Strip 286: A Minor Glitch
In Panel 12, V's dialogue "I think I may owe the tables of the world an apology," is a reference to the his dialogue in Strip 285, Panel 5, where he compares Belkar's mental acuity to that of a table.

Strip 287: Paladins Make Good Tour Guides
In panel 8, Hinjo is holding a Saphire Guard coupon that says, 6 sp off. SP is short for Silver Pieces.

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Strip 288: First Word... - No annotations yet

Strip 289: Senility Now!
In panel 4, we see a Shojo with gray hair and no wrinkles or liver spots, showing the passage of time between the event and current time.

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Strip 290: Shojo's Big Secret - No annotations yet

Strip 291: Not to Mention Little League - No annotations yet

Strip 292: Non-startling Revelations - No annotations yet

Strip 293: This is Getting to Be a Habit... - No annotations yet

Strip 294: Contracts, Shmontracts - No annotations yet

Strip 295: Belkar Leashed - No annotations yet

Strip 296: Boons - No annotations yet

Strip 297: Sword Speak - No annotations yet

Strip 298: The Future is Forged in the Fires of Today
In page 2, panel 3; Elan has received the lollipop he asked for in strip 287.

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Strip 299: A Calling Missed - No annotations yet

Strip 300: Pick Your Doom - No annotations yet
2013-10-02, 05:59 PM
bobinchese

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

Miko isn't present in comic 176.
2013-10-02, 06:30 PM
Muenster Man

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheWombatOfDoom

This project is an effort to point out details the casual reader might overlook or nto pick up on. Everything from references to Dungeons and Dragons, to in comic references, or even to real life things. We'll point out repeated gags and plot elements, so that when you follow along, you can enjoy the Order of the Stick story to the fullest!

Spoiler: FAQ's
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Isn't this just like the "Things I Haven't Noticed" threads or the "Joke I Didn't Get" threads?

While there are some similarities, these threads have different missions than ours. Many of the details in the annotations have been gleaned from these threads, but ultimately, this thread is farther reaching.
Could you explain the purpose of this thread more clearly? I agree that it seems different from other, similar threads, and I would like to contribute but I can't quite figure out what this thread is and is not supposed to cover. Right now it sort of seems to cover a vague "everything," and if that's the case, people can suggest just about anything and it will get very crowded very quickly.
2013-10-02, 06:35 PM
Gnoman

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheWombatOfDoom

Spoiler: Updates 101-200
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135 – The shop keepers in this update have equally mathematically-challenged counterparts on the Western Continent, shown in the first-panel of update 677.

Afraid you're incorrect here. The latter gag has to do with D&D spell component rules (each spell that requires an expensive component bases that component on the GP value rather than any objective quantity or quality of the item. Thus, if you haggle for less than that rate, your component no longer qualifies for the spell, so you have to buy more), not any mathematically-challenged merchants. There is no connection between the two gags other than "they both take place in a shop."
2013-10-02, 06:50 PM
TheWombatOfDoom

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide
The Annotated Order of the Stick
Strips 301 to 400
Previous Page | Index | Next Page
Spoiler: Strips 301-400
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Strip 301: A Brief Intermission - No annotations yet

Strip 302: New Beginnings - No annotations yet

Strip 303: Phrenology Today - No annotations yet

Strip 304: A Leper Can't Change His Spots - No annotations yet

Strip 305: The Epistle of Durkon - No annotations yet

Strip 306: Power Word: Annoy - No annotations yet

Strip 307: Take the Problem By the Hand - No annotations yet

Strip 308: Sword Envy - No annotations yet

Strip 309: My Dinner with Elan - No annotations yet

Strip 310: Advanced Dates & Dinners - No annotations yet

Strip 311: Internal Dialogue
In panel 2, we see that Haley’s self loathing ego appears to look exactly how Haley appeared when she was a teenager in Strip 93.

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Strip 312: Where the Buffalo Wings Roam - No annotations yet

Strip 313: Words Fail - No annotations yet

Strip 314: Goth Advice - No annotations yet

Strip 315: On Sylph's Wings - No annotations yet

Strip 316: The Moment of Truth - No annotations yet

Strip 317: The Best Part of Waking Up - No annotations yet

Strip 318: The Move Action of Shame
In panel 1, you can spot Celia behind the curtain.
In panel 4, we find out from Elan that in addition to the countries known as Nowhere, Somewhere, Anywhere, and Someplace Else, which were revealed in Strip 226, there is also a country known as Neither.

Strip 319: Healthier Living Through Repression
In panel 4, Haley’s optimism has the appearance of young Haley in panel 8 of Strip 681.

Strip 320: Bing Crosby's Got Nothing On Us
The title refers to the last panel, where there are several signs stating "Road to..." and then a location. Bing Crosby starred in a series of "Road to..." comedy films in the 40's, including one which is directly shown on one of the signs in Panel 11 - "Road to Morocco".
In Panel 11, a sign references the film "Road To Perdition"

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Strip 321: Q & A - No annotations yet

Strip 322: Maybe the Quailtiger?
In panel 9, Belkar's dialogue is referencing this tootsie roll pop commercial.

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Strip 323: Don't Make Me Turn This Quest Around - No annotations yet

Strip 324: Consult Your Doctor Before Reading This Comic
In the last panel, the magic mouth is cut off by Roy. In Strip 564, we see the rest of the speech that we missed.

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Strip 325: The Test of the Body - No annotations yet

Strip 326: Getting Ahead in Business - No annotations yet

Strip 327: The Test of the Mind - No annotations yet

Strip 328: The Test of the Heart
In panel 1, Elan points out that the party Thought their way around the test of Body, and Fought their way through the test of Mind.

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Strip 329: The All-Seeing Oracle - No annotations yet

Strip 330: Paid in Full
In panel 8, the Oracle tells Roy and Elan that they are running late for a pair of family reunions, which tells us that the Oracle is aware of the events in Strip 258, as well as the incoming events.

Strip 331: For the Future
In page 1, panel 3; we see a depiction of Tiamat, God of the Dragons.
In page 2, panels 5, 7 and 9; these panels are set up to be congruous, with the oracle pages trisecting it. You can tell by the positioning of the Undead Dragon between the three pages.

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Strip 332: The Ephemerality of Memory - No annotations yet

Strip 333: The Bright Side – No annotations yet

Strip 334: If You Want Something Done Right – No annotations yet

Strip 335: A Grand Experiment – No annotations yet

Strip 336: Bedtime for Elan – No annotations yet

Strip 337: Brief and to the Point – No annotations yet

Strip 338: Tactical Priorities
In panel 8, Vaarsuvius’ dialogue foreshadows the events in which he/she sells his/her soul to save his/her own family, by saying "One’s family must be defended when the need arises."

Strip 339: C.P.P.D. Blues
In panel 2, the crime scene tape says "Ye Olde Crime Scene, Do Not Crosse".

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Strip 340: You Should Have Seen What He Did With the Corsage – No annotations yet

Strip 341: Setting Up the Board – No annotations yet

Strip 342: Dangling the Bait – No annotations yet

Strip 343: Served with a Side Order of Whoop-Ass – No annotations yet

Strip 344: A Walk in the Park
In panel 8, we see that Leeky (who is Durkon’s Linear Guild opposite) is wearing robes that match Durkon’s skin tone, and Leeky’s skin tone matches the color of Durkon’s beard. His beard, hair, and cape also match Durkon’s armor color, and their amulet pendants match the other’s chain.

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Strip 345: He Invented the Magic System – No annotations yet

Strip 346: Swoop, There It Is
In panel 5, Leeky Windstaff's animal companion is named "Kitty" and is a hawk, which is a reference to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where the Wright Brothers conducted their experiments into powered flight.
In panel 7, the psychiatrist appears to be the same one that appears in the trial scene of Strip 271.

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Strip 347: On the Map – No annotations yet

Strip 348: Someone Was Looking For You
In Panel 1, Belkar says "I think that I shall never see a beating as lovely as that handed out by a tree." This is a reference to the poem "Trees" by Joyce KIlmer. The poem starts with the lines: "I think that I shall never see, A poem lovely as a tree."
In Panels 5, 6 & 7, the dialogue and appearance of YokYok is a reference to the character Inigo Montoya from the film, "The Princess Bride". Panel 12 continues this reference, where Belkar yells, "STOP SAYING THAT", which the Six Fingered Man yells in the referenced scene.

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Strip 349: Every Couple Has Their Quirks – No annotations yet

Strip 350: At Least You Get Course Credit
In panel 1, the Cliffport Police department is shown have red and white flashing lights on top of their horses, and the rookie makes siren noises.
In panel 7, the police call in the SWAT team, which typically stands for "Special Weapons And Tactics" but in this case refers to using fly-SWAT-ters.

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Strip 351: Pop Quiz, Hotshot – No annotations yet

Strip 352: The Turnaround – No annotations yet

Strip 353: If a Druid Falls in the City, Does He Make a Noise?
In panel 1, we see that one of Thor’s angel is holding a Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 Player’s Handbook.

Strip 354: Copper Piece Arcade
In panel 9, we see a reference to the classic 1981 Arcade game - Centipede.
In panel 10, the reference to the Centipede arcade game is furthered when Julia Greenhilt says, "Help! I'm out of quarters!" Like most arcade games, Centipede would allow you to continue after you had "lost" if you put in more quarters.

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Strip 355: Sore Loser – No annotations yet

Strip 356: Knight Takes Pawn – No annotations yet

Strip 357: Pen Beats Sword – No annotations yet

Strip 358: A Taste of Victory – No annotations yet

Strip 359: Roll Over – No annotations yet

Strip 360: Hail to the Chief
In panel 9, you can see Nale’s sword coming up from behind the Police Chief.

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Strip 361: Framing the Picture – No annotations yet

Strip 362: Grand Theft Identity – No annotations yet

Strip 363: I Fought the Law – No annotations yet

Strip 364: Consider Their Lineage – No annotations yet

Strip 365: Caught in the Act
In panel 4, Nale says his disguise won't work forever, except for the halfling. In Strip 383, the Halfling - Belkar is the first one to notice, because Nale showers and Belkar can smell him.
In panel 7, when Sabine and Nale kiss, her tail wraps around his leg and she messes up his outfit and hair.

Strip 366: Porting Out
In this Strip, the Azurite Spellcaster’s bottle slowly loses liquid as he drinks it.

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Strip 367: Innocent Man – No annotations yet

Strip 368: All Along the Watchtower – No annotations yet

Strip 369: Fight! – No annotations yet

Strip 370: Kills 'Em Every Time – No annotations yet

Strip 371: The Road to Heck
In panel 9, Xykon misquotes a line from Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The actual line is, "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to Hate. Hate leads to suffering."
In panel 10, Red Cloak and Xykon mix up the line from panel 9 with a different line which appears in Star Wars - Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. The actual line is, "Luke! Don't give in to hate. That leads to the Dark Side."
In the last panel, you can see two demon roaches having a light saber duel.

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Strip 372: Pot v. Kettle – No annotations yet

Strip 373: Caged
In page 2, panel 1; when Miko grabs the Demon Roach, it shouts, "Help! Help! I'm being oppressed!" This line is a nearly identical to the line in the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, in this scene.
In page 2, panel 6; we see Miko’s horse Windstrider issues the sound pika when summoned from the pokeball. In Strip 432, we see that this phrase is finished with Hinjo’s dog being summoned from a pokeball, issuing the sound chu.

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Strip 374: Black and Blue – No annotations yet

Strip 375: Undeliverable
In panel 10, we see that Durkon’s intercepted letter tells us that in the OotS universe – Dwarves have 2 livers.

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Strip 376: All Too Easy – No annotations yet

Strip 377: Travel Delays – No annotations yet

Strip 378: He Didn't Even Have to Say Please – No annotations yet

Strip 379: Perform IS on the Aristocrat's Skill List – No annotations yet

Strip 380: While the Fiend's Away...
In panel 6, we see the first appearance of the IFCC.
In panel 7, Sabine’s tail curls when she lies to Nale.

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Strip 381: Improved Feint – No annotations yet

Strip 382: Risk vs. Reward
In panel 5, we see that one of Haley’s personalities is elven – Haley’s Intellect.

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Strip 383: What's Really Scary is That He Knows the Words – No annotations yet

Strip 384: Words Get in the Way
In panel 2, we see this restaurant is the same restaurant that Roy and Celia went to on their date for New Years in Strip 313.
In panel 7, Nale thinks Haley's cryptograms are a foreign language. In Strip 247, Elan had the same reaction.

Strip 385: A Sympathetic Ear
In panel 6, Drunk Sabine calls V "sister", in contradiction to her calling V "dude" in Strip 252, panel 6.

Strip 386: Not How She Pictured It, Certainly –
In panel 3, the hotel room Nale and Haley enter is #13, which is a number characteristically left out of hotels – generally, there is never a 13th floor, or a 13th room.

Strip 387: The Cliffport Redemption
In page 1, last panel; Elan gets an idea…but instead of a light bulb popping up above his head, a lantern pops up.
In page 2, last panel; when Thog rages, his skin gets darker and his pants turn purple, like the comic book character - Incredible Hulk.

Strip 388: The Final Frontier
In panel 3, we see that the left-most outfit that is displayed is the outfit Elan chooses to steal.
In panel 5, Elan for the first time is depicted with visible boots in the comic.
In Page 2, we see several references to characters and elements from the Final Fantasy VI, in which one of the main modes of travel is by airship. If you, like thog, do not get the references, here is a list of them:
In Panel 4, the characters that are represeneted from left to right are: Setzer - the Airship Captain, Cyan, Celes, Terra, Relm and Strago. Elan and thog wear costumes that resemble Locke and Mog, respectively.
In Panel 4, Cyan's dialogue about three options - Fight, Run or Item, are references to the turn based system of fighting used in Final Fantasy VI. The 4th option is Magic, which comes later in the game (as the dialogue confirms in the panel).
In Panel 4, Relm, a character who is an artist in the game complains to her grandfather about not wanting to go to Pratt Institute, which is known for its Fine Arts department.
In Panel 4, Strago threatens Relm with the spell Aqua Rake, which is a spell he was able to cast in the game.
In Panel 8, the character with the drill is Edgar.
In Panel 8, Edgar references Fenix Down (a modified spelling of Phoenix Down), which is the resurrection spell used in the Final Fantasy Series.

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Strip 389: As Good an Explanation as is Forthcoming – No annotations yet

Strip 390: In a Class All His Own – No annotations yet

Strip 391: Eye of the Tiger, Baby
In the last panel, one of the men in the alligator suit is taking a smoke break.

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Strip 392: Death From Above – No annotations yet

Strip 393: Truth
In the online version of this Strip, it is named Truth. In the printed version, it is named The Truth Shall Set You Free.

Strip 394: Hell Hath Exactly As Much Fury
In panel 9, we see Nale’s fantasy death for Haley was to stab her with a knife in the sternum, which is how he dies in Strip 913.

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Strip 395: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back – No annotations yet

Strip 396: The Door Knocks on YOU – No annotations yet

Strip 397: Leggo My Ego! – No annotations yet

Strip 398: We All Just Want to be Held Sometimes
In panel 12, while Vaarsuvius, Haley and Durkon are hugging, Thog approaches the group to join in, saying – group hug! Durkon casts the spell Hold Person on him to prevent him from doing so, but it is ironic, since hugging is the equivalent of holding a person.

Strip 399: Death Actually IS Too Good For Them
In page 1, panel 8; Haley mentions that there’s probably some kind of ubermagic that would bind his soul, but that it was more on the evil side of the street. Vaarsuvius responds, "And what, exactly, would be the problem in that?" Vaarsuvius later participates in some ubermagic of his/her own when his/her soul is bound by the IFCC in Strip 634.

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Strip 400: Your Ship Has Come In – No annotations yet
Spoiler: Original Post
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Quote:

Originally Posted by bobinchese

Miko isn't present in comic 176.

Edited. I meant 174. Kinks to be worked out. :smallwink:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muenster Man

Could you explain the purpose of this thread more clearly? I agree that it seems different from other, similar threads, and I would like to contribute but I can't quite figure out what this thread is and is not supposed to cover. Right now it sort of seems to cover a vague "everything," and if that's the case, people can suggest just about anything and it will get very crowded very quickly.

Sure, some of these are arbitrary, such as this is happening, you might have missed it. Other things are direct references to things, and in those cases I'd like to specifically define. I'm looking for suggestions for organizing - Such as sections - Like the gag call out I'd like to do differently, and I'd also like to do things like point out the intended opposite theme for each of the linear guild regroupings. Things like that. Explaining the title of each Strip is another mission. It is vague on purpose, but with a limit. I'd say notable intricacies, like the empire of blood has red wine, and the azurites have blue. Things of that nature, but not, say, that tree is green. Explaining jokes and references are the main idea, with plot and story references a close second.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gnoman

Afraid you're incorrect here. The latter gag has to do with D&D spell component rules (each spell that requires an expensive component bases that component on the GP value rather than any objective quantity or quality of the item. Thus, if you haggle for less than that rate, your component no longer qualifies for the spell, so you have to buy more), not any mathematically-challenged merchants. There is no connection between the two gags other than "they both take place in a shop."

Ah. Alright, I'll have to redefine each to explain each, would you have a suggestion as to defining the first gag?
2013-10-02, 06:52 PM
Gnoman

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

"Mathematically-challenged" is a perfectly good descriptor for the first. The only part that I was challenging was linking an unrelated gag, and explaining why it was unrelated.
2013-10-02, 07:01 PM
bobinchese

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

289 – In panel 3, we see a Shojo with gray hair and no wrinkles or liver spots, showing the passage of time between the event and current time.

Should read "In panel 4..."
2013-10-02, 08:00 PM
Rogar Demonblud

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

In Workflow and Gags, for the book titles you can add War and XPs=War and Peace (Both books are hefty bricks as well).
2013-10-02, 08:22 PM
Kornaki

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

In your description of comic 319, you try to link to 681 but it goes to a different comic.
2013-10-02, 08:27 PM
TheWombatOfDoom

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide
The Annotated Order of the Stick
Strips 401 to 500
Previous Page | Index | Next Page
Spoiler: Strips 401-500
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Strip 401: Breakfast of Champions
This Strip has the same name as Strip 720 – Breakfast of Champions.
In panels 7 and 8, Durkon, Haley and Elan are using chopsticks in this Strip, even for the pancakes. Vaarsuvius, however, is using a spoon for the grapefruit.

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Strip 402: Speaking From the Heart – No annotations yet

Strip 403: Leadership Is About the Tough Decisions – No annotations yet

Strip 404: A Paladin's Duty – No annotations yet

Strip 405: The Secrets – No annotations yet

Strip 406: A Moment of Truth – No annotations yet

Strip 407: Breakfast of Champions
In panel 6, we see when Miko becomes a fallen Paladin, her clothes change from blue to brown. In the last panel, when Shojo dies, his spotlight goes out.

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Strip 408: Fallsville, Population: 1 – No annotations yet

Strip 409: Intercession – No annotations yet

Strip 410: The New Lord in Town – No annotations yet

Strip 411: The Power Behind the Throne – No annotations yet

Strip 412: Catching Up – No annotations yet

Strip 413: Not to Scale – No annotations yet

Strip 414: Noble is Goodble – No annotations yet

Strip 415: Idiot Box
In panel 14, the image in the Crystal Ball is a reference to the character's Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins from the Lord of the Rings series written by JR Tolkien, who must destroy the 'One Ring'. This parody has Frudu and Samwose, who must destroy the 'One Ming'.

Strip 416: It's Battlicious!
In panel 1, the woman in the Blind Date episode Xykon is watching comments that her date was really stiff the whole date, which makes sense, since she’s a medusa.

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Strip 417: The Most Important Place to Be – No annotations yet

Strip 418: It's a Type of Boat
In Panel 10, Belkar's dialogue parodies the iconic line from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope when Obi-Wan Kenobi senses the destruction of Alderaan.

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Strip 419: A Special Pre-Approved Offer – No annotations yet

Strip 420: The Trial of Belkar Bitterleaf (Abridged) – No annotations yet

Strip 421: Oratory of the Stick
Elan steals from various fictional or historical speeches for his own speech –
Page 1,
Panel 9: Julius Caesar,
Panel 10: Lord of the Rings (Isenguard vs Rohan Battle - Two Towers),
Panel 11: Henry V,
Panel 12: Lord of the Rings (Return of the King),
Page 2,
Panel 2: Patton,
Panel 3: Independence Day,
Panel 4: Braveheart

Strip 422: March to War
The pages in this Strip depict a mirrored positioning of characters.
Roy and Xykon mirror each other - which mirrors they are the leaders of the two teams (the Order and Team Evil).
Hinjo and Redcloak mirror each other – which represents them as opposing leaders of their people.
O-Chul and MitD mirror each other – which foreshadows their encounter later in the story.

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Strip 423: Periodic Bombardment

Strip 424: A Wizard's Work
In page 2, panel 6; the Azurite soldier drops his shield to catch the scroll of dismissal and throws it up to Vaarsuvius in the next panel. Also, as a note, when Vaarsuvius uses the scrolls, the words on the scroll vanish.

Strip 425: War Makes Boys of Us All
In panel 4, Elan references the movie 300, or rather – The Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC where 300 Spartans defended against a much larger invasion force of Persians. The historian Herodotus writes that when Dienekes, a Spartan soldier, was informed that Persian arrows would be so numerous as "to block out the sun", he retorted, unconcerned: "So much the better...then we shall fight our battle in the shade." This is the second reference to Thermopylae via a large mass of arrows. The first of which can be found in Strip 152, which predated the film.

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Strip 426: Three of a Kind – No annotations yet

Strip 427: They're Just Another Brick in the Wall – No annotations yet

Strip 428: It Takes a Thief
In page 2, panel 4; we see the wind moving the character’s clothing and see a very faint whoosh. They move each flap of the undead dragon’s wings. In page 2, panel 6; Belkar’s referring to Vaarsuvius as It’s Pat is a reference to this SNL skit.

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Strip 429: Stay on Target... – No annotations yet

Strip 430: Rematch
In page 1, we see that Xykon’s undead dragon is missing its rear left foot. In page 2, panel 1; Xykon says unholy crap, instead of holy crap.

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Strip 431: My Three Xykons – No annotations yet

Strip 432: Let Slip the Dogs of War
In panel 2, we see that the chef is the same chef who invented "Halfling Drop Soup" in Strip 279.
In panel 10, we see Hinjo’s dog Argent issues the sound chu when summoned from the pokeball. In Strip 373, we see that this phrase is complimented with Miko’s horse being summoned from a pokeball, issuing the sound pika.
In the last panel, we see Belkar mention his jealousy about how Hinjo is "unleashing the fury", and all he gets is a wiener dog. This is a reference to when he says "unleash the fury" in Strip 140.

Strip 433: Resource Management
The title of this strip is the same as the title of Strip 924.
In panel 6, we see Belkar is not killing Goblins because of his Mark of Justice - but, he kills the Undead Goblin, because the non-living are fair game.

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Strip 434: Heavy is the Head – No annotations yet

Strip 435: Amoral Dilemma [list][*]In page 1, panel 3; the poison bottle shown has a yuck face on it. In page 2, panel 9; the assassin’s head that Belkar decapitated hits a Goblin and kills it.

Strip 436: Non-Military Intelligence
In panel 1, the poisoned arrow depicted is from the previous page. The assassin Belkar killed miss fired it into the air as Belkar knocked him off the edge. In the last panel, the Death Knight rips off his Xykon costume just before his charge.

Strip 437: Battle Momentum
In the last panel, we see that the guard gets an attack of opportunity by the letters AOO! popping up next to his sword slash.

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Strip 438: The Paladin is Your Pal – No annotations yet

Strip 439: Seeing Orange – No annotations yet

Strip 440: Flew the Coop – No annotations yet

Strip 441: Getting Ahead and Staying Ahead – No annotations yet

Strip 442: We Can Do This the Easy Way... – No annotations yet

Strip 443: The First Step is a Doozy
In Panel 1, Roy mentions two potions he has on him, and wonders why he even has them. In fact, either of these potions would have gotten him out of trouble in the closet in Strip 234. The Shillelagh Oil would have turned the broom into a formidable weapon, and the Delay Poison would have Delayed Elan's Poison.

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Strip 444: He's Dead, Jim – No annotations yet

Strip 445: A Song for the Departed – No annotations yet

Strip 446: Hell of a Job
In panel 2, Vaarsuvius is depicted as the purple dot firing the lightning bolt in the background.

Strip 447: Guarding the Sapphire
In the last panel on the 2nd row, you see the wondow is boarded up from when Belkar and Miko crashed through it in 284

Strip 448: Just Crazy Enough to Work
In page 2, the last panel; we see the bouncy ball Xykon used with the mark of insanity in the bottom right area of the panel.

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Strip 449: Land of the Rising... – No annotations yet

Strip 450: Wands Are for Suckers
In the pan shot of the first panel, Roy, Tsukiko, Redcloak, Mitd, Huecuva, the eye of fear and flame and Belkar are seen. Belkar’s position matches the position he was last seen 5 pages before.

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Strip 451: Change of Direction – No annotations yet

Strip 452: Breaking and Entering – No annotations yet

Strip 453: Heck of a Fight
In page 2, panel 4; the ninja's line about being the last ninja makes him death incarnate is a reference to the Conservation of Ninjitsu trope.

Strip 454: The Longshot
In page 2, panel 6; the mammoth is stomping on Azurite Soldiers.

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Strip 455: Incoming! – No annotations yet

Strip 456: Saved Game
In panel 2, as the mammoth disappears, the Hobgoblin General plummets to the ground. In panel 3, we see the sound effect of the Hobgoblin General landing.

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Strip 457: Anti-Human Resources – No annotations yet

Strip 458: Exit Strategy
Panel 2 we see that Nale’s goatee is growing back, but hasn’t grown back fully from when he shaved it.
In Panel 6, Thog expresses he has always dreamed of being a footstool, which is the exact opposite statement Durkon said in Strip 260when he is locked in the same room.

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Strip 459: Negative Feelings – No annotations yet

Strip 460: Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign – No annotations yet

Strip 461: I've Got a Bad Feeling About This... – No annotations yet

Strip 462: Good Idea, Bad Idea – No annotations yet

Strip 463: Shattered
In page 1 - the splash panel - Xykon and Redcloak are seen flying away to escape the explosion of the gate, as well as small pockets of Azure City soldiers amongst the Hobgoblins. In page 2, panel 1; Elan divulges that it is common knowledge that Hobgoblins love Gouda cheese.

Strip 464: Not for Everyone
Miko was cut in half during the explosion by the chair she cut in half.

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Strip 465: No One Likes a Tattletale – No annotations yet

Strip 466: I Think I Left it in the Bag...
In the last panel, the right tower of the ruined castle falls over from the destruction, emphasizing Xykon’s dialogue – I don’t suppose we kept the receipt?

Strip 467: Learn to Play it Right
In page 1, panel 10; we see Haley quote singer Kenny Rogers as a saying her father had. Belkar furthers the reference by saying he made some fine roast chicken, since Kenny was also a restaurateur.

Strip 468: Splitting Up is Hard to Do
On page 2, panel 9; we see Haley has a tattoo on her upper back. It’s a heart with an arrow through it. She mentions it through cryptogram in the 9th panel of 309.

Strip 469: Crossbones
In page 2, panel 10; the goblins mention they handed out the t-shirts too early, which is referencing Strip 455, where the goblins got t-shirts because they thought they’d killed the PC’s.

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Strip 470: With Three Arrows Left in the Quiver – No annotations yet

Strip 471: A Triumphant Return – No annotations yet

Strip 472: I'll Hold Them Off – No annotations yet

Strip 473: On the Waterfront
In page 2, panel 1; The Captain introduces himself as Captain Axe, and has an axe for a hand instead of the usual hook. This is also a subtle reference to Captain Hook from the story – Peter Pan.

Strip 474: The Body Snatcher
In panel 8, the quote shadow Roy says is referencing The Shadow.
In panel 9, the Hobgoblin vampire Roy has killed has two teeth puncture marks in his neck.
In the last panel, a scone is shown wedged into O-Chul’s hands. The demon roach in this panel also has tea and a scone.

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Strip 475: Crashing the Party – No annotations yet

Strip 476: I Don't Suppose You Have Any Nutmeg?
In panel 6, the demon roach is quoting a Life cereal commercial.

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Strip 477: Shock and Awwwwww – No annotations yet

Strip 478: On Usefulness – No annotations yet

Strip 479: Jaws of Life – No annotations yet

Strip 480: Change of Address Needed – No annotations yet

Strip 481: Cutting the Cord
In panel 11, we see the Goblins are still attempting to fire on the ship by the arrows that appear off the edge of the ship.

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Strip 482: Leaving Azure City – No annotations yet

Strip 483: Broken Stick – No annotations yet

Strip 484: At the End of the Day
Xykon is depicted casting the Cloister spell.

Strip 485: Hey! You! Get Off of My Cloud!
In page 2, panel 3, Eugene Greenhilt taunts Roy by making a reference to the story line of the animated Dragonball Z series. In Dragonball Z, Goku, the main character, is killed protecting the Earth. While he is dead, he goes to the afterlife, where he trains with King Kai, a martial arts master, to become stronger while his friends gather the seven Dragonballs in order to wish him back to life to help fight off the still present threat.
In page 2, panel 4, Roy mentions that the last battle was long enough to be a battle in Dragonball Z. This is a reference to the animated series, which was notorious for having incredibly long battles, spanning multiple episodes.

Strip 486: Next on "As the Plane Turns"...
In panel 5, the cleric that is saying "Wait a minute, I had a 22!" is the cleric who died in the casting duel with Redcloak in Strip 456.
In panel 9, Eugene asks Roy if he remembers her, because she hasn't appeared in the comic since way back in Strip 39.

Strip 487: Their Concierge Service is Heavenly
In panel 7, the Bureaucratic Deva references Strip 292, where Eugene took the place of the ‘Being of Pure Law and Good’.

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Strip 488: Broken Stick – No annotations yet

Strip 489: Keepin' the Little Man Down
In the 11th panel, we see that Belkar’s evil is measured in Kilonazis.

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Strip 490: Final Review – No annotations yet

Strip 491: Those Singing Lessons Cost Money, You Know – No annotations yet

Strip 492: Things to Do in Heaven When You're Dead – No annotations yet

Strip 493: Led Zeppelin Lied to Us All
In the last panel, we see the Azure City Paladin with the bandana that first appeared in Strip 447 and died in Strip 448 while defending the throne room. He presumably entered the afterlife after his ghost-martyr was defeated in Strip 461.

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Strip 494: DMILF – No annotations yet

Strip 495: (Eu)gene Therapy – No annotations yet

Strip 496: Responsible – No annotations yet

Strip 497: The Grand Fighter – No annotations yet

Strip 498: Gone Fishin' – No annotations yet

Strip 499: No Time to Lose – No annotations yet

Strip 500: A Reason to Keep Trying – No annotations yet
Spoiler: Original Post
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Quote:

Originally Posted by Gnoman

"Mathematically-challenged" is a perfectly good descriptor for the first. The only part that I was challenging was linking an unrelated gag, and explaining why it was unrelated.

Alright, well, then it doesn't need to be described as a notable fact, since that's pretty apparent. I'll work on 677's description. Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobinchese

289 – In panel 3, we see a Shojo with gray hair and no wrinkles or liver spots, showing the passage of time between the event and current time.

Should read "In panel 4..."

Fixed. :smallredface: I missed that bar...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogar Demonblud

In Workflow and Gags, for the book titles you can add War and XPs=War and Peace (Both books are hefty bricks as well).

Ah! Someone's looking at that mad slap dash of items! :smallsmile: I'll add it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kornaki

In your description of comic 319, you try to link to 681 but it goes to a different comic.

Fixed! Thank you. :smallsmile:
2013-10-02, 08:34 PM
thatSeniorGuy

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

For #18, you didn't complete the second sentence. I'm guessing you meant to say: "Haley is not surprised as she made her spot/listen check"? (Not sure, haven't actually played 3rd edition.)
2013-10-02, 09:07 PM
veti

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

What I'd appreciate more is not so much "pointing out of things you may not have noticed within the strips themselves", and much more "pointing out connections to sources/media outside the comic", e.g. GI Joe, Harry Potter, LotR, Star Wars etc.

For instance, Fruit Pie the Sorceror - to this day, I really don't know what that refers to. Ditto the owlbear and 'How many licks does it take...?' It'd be nice to have an Annotation list that explained those things.

But the note for Strip 21, for instance - that's just something within the comic yourself. If you noticed it, you smile - if not, you don't, but I don't think you gain anything from having the joke explained. If anything, I'd feel either (a) mildly disappointed with myself, or (b) mildly irritated at having to read through it, depending on whether or not I'd noticed it myself.
2013-10-02, 09:13 PM
TheWombatOfDoom

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide
The Annotated Order of the Stick
Strips 501 to 600
Previous Page | Index | Next Page
Spoiler: Strips 501-600
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Strip 501: No Cure for the Wedding Bell Blues
In page 1, panel 2; we see that when the two Azurites are kissing, they make blue hearts instead of red.
In page 1, panel 6; we see the Azurites have blue wine.
In page 2, panel 3 shows us that Elan got his eye patch during the journey to visit the 4 southern kingdoms.
In page 2, panels 1 through 4; Hinjo appears increasingly annoyed as he visits each of the 4 kings and is refused.

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Strip 502: And I-I-I-I Will Always Love You - No annotations yet

Strip 503: Surreptitious Admirer - No annotations yet

Strip 504: That's a Surprisingly Common Reaction - No annotations yet

Strip 505: ...Or We Will All Stick Separately - No annotations yet

Strip 506: Flanking Crush - No annotations yet

Strip 507: Fantasy Troll-Playing Game
Panel 12 is an exact copy of Panel 11 in Strip 505, where the Scrags first boarded the ship.

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Strip 508: Sure Beats Flatware - No annotations yet

Strip 509: It Has Flowers, Hearts, and a DC 30 Lock - No annotations yet

Strip 510: Killer View
In Page 1, Panel 8; the image is a parody of the Intel Inside campaign by the company "Intel".
In page 2, panel 1; we see Death to Humans written on the outer wall in red (possibly blood). There are also Azurite soldier heads impaled on spikes along the top of the wall.

Strip 511: Guerillas in Their Midst
In page 2, panel 4; the dialogue references Harrison Ford, who played the whip carrying character, Indiana Jones.

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Strip 512: They've Had Time to Train, Too - No annotations yet

Strip 513: Security Deposit
In panel 2, the Security Advisory System is a spoof of USA's Homeland Security Advisory System for terrorism.

Strip 514: Elan Would Be So Proud
A box to Haley’s right says Gouda – Product of Cliffport, which has been shown to be a staple food of the Hobgoblins.

Strip 515: A Momentary Experience
In the final six panels, the touch of the Wight drains experience, negating Belkar's level gain.

Strip 516: Turning Azurite, I Think I'm Turning Azurite, I Really Think So
In panel 1, the thing that Belkar spots is Mr. Scruffy, as we find out by the cat’s appearance from Belkar’s bag in Strip 520.
In panel 11, when Tsukiko casts Dominate Person on Thanh, his eyes change color to match Tsukiko's.

Strip 517: Probably Best to Choose at Random
The Wight is wearing the shoes he asked for in the last panel of 516. In 524, when Thanh overcomes the Domination spell, he comments on his missing shoes. It wears them in many later strips until Strip 830, where it is presumably eaten or burned to death in the fireplace.

Strip 518: At Least It Wasn't the Fourth Wall Again
In the last panel, Haley is blasted so hard from the Electric Orb spell that she gets blasted through the panel border. If you scroll the page over, you can still actually see her outside of the comic border.

Strip 519: Nightmare on Blue Street
The title is a spoof of the film A Nightmare on Elm Street. Blue Street is appropriate for Azure City, since it's color theme is blue.
In Panel 12, Haley's dialogue references Wes Craven, who is a film director known for slasher films where the trope Haley mentions is common. He is the director of the film parodied in the Title of the Strip.

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Strip 520: The Power of Immediate Gratification - No annotations yet

Strip 521: Remorse - No annotations yet

Strip 522: We're Doomed If She Finds the Map Key - No annotations yet

Strip 523: Orders That Won't Stick - No annotations yet

Strip 524: Pretender to the Throne - No annotations yet

Strip 525: Look More Closelier - No annotations yet

Strip 526: He's Just Pine-ing for the Fjords - No annotations yet

Strip 527: Pep Talk - No annotations yet

Strip 528: The Ghost Screamer
In panel 1, we see that when Roy shouts in spirit form, his aura gets pointy.
In panel 5, Roy’s line changes depending on the medium you read it in.
In the online version of the comic is I wish I could look back through this comic’s archive, and in the printed book he says, I wish I could look back through the previous books.

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Strip 529: The Summons - No annotations yet

Strip 530: Regarding the Speed With Which One Removes Band-Aids - No annotations yet

Strip 531: Wake Up Call to Action
In page 1, last panel, the dwarf that is depicted is actually a Duergar.
We also see in this panel Isamu buying the sap Haley stole off of him when he died, in 521.

Strip 532: The Exposition Fairy
In page 1, panel 7; while Xykon is studying Dorukan’s headband, he is holding the gem that Dorukan and Lirian are trapped in the other hand.
In page 2, panel 2; we see the other two of the three sigil guardians from Dorukan’s Dungeon that were in Strips 51 and 52. The guardian of the fire sigil orders hot peppers.
In page 2, last panel; Lirian is depicted as visiting Dorukon.

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Strip 533: Open to Multiple Interpretations - No annotations yet

Strip 534: Medium Creatures - No annotations yet

Strip 535: The Cat Stays in the Picture
In panel 2, we see the King of Nowhere actually does look similar to Roy, who was mistaken as him in Strip 226.
In the same panel, we see another appearance of the assassins who tried to assassinate Roy when they thought he was the King.

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Strip 536: A Brief Tribute - No annotations yet

Strip 537: What Do You Think Comes in a Disguise Kit, Anyway?
In panel 8, we see the cart wheel appears stopped, while in the earlier panels it appears to be in motion.

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Strip 538: Fiend or Foe? - No annotations yet

Strip 539: Well There is That "Saint" Prestige Class - No annotations yet

Strip 540: Melts in Your Mouth, Not on Your Alignment - No annotations yet

Strip 541: He's a Gamblin'...Thing
In panel 4, when Monster in the Darkness bets monopoly money, the roach that says take the bet has the monopoly man hat and mustache, and is standing on a monopoly house, all references to the board game, Monopoly.
In Panel 6, the Roaches' dialogue about the Acid-breathing Shark is a direct reference to the Acid Born Shark that Rich Burlew created for the sourcebook, "Dungeonscape. Rich Burluw is essentially poking fun at himself.

Strip 542: In Azure City, Shark Jumps You!
In page 2, panel 7; we see that the Acid Breathing Shark is missing teeth where O-Chul punched it in the previous page. We see them floating away in page 2, panel 1.

Strip 543: Shhh! Principal's Coming!
Panel 1 implies that the MitD has some instinctual understanding of his powers, as he later does what he is referencing in 661.
Panel 3 is a reference to the movie Office Space, particularly this scene. The Demon Roach elaborates the memo.

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Strip 544: A Lot at Stake - No annotations yet

Strip 545: Someone Should be Wearing Safety Goggles - No annotations yet

Strip 546: O-Chul's Razor
The title refers to Occam's razor: "The simplest explanation is the most likely", as Redcloak mentions in Panel 9.

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Strip 547: Endurance Feat - No annotations yet

Strip 548: His Most Despicable Act Yet
In Panel 9, Red Cloak mentions that he "has bridge to sell to Terabithia". This references the children's book, "A Bridge to Terabithia" in which the main characters (who are children) create a fictional place, Terabithia. The joke here is that since Terabithia isn't real, you'd be gullible to purchase a bridge to it.

Strip 549: Grueling Ordeal
In Panel 12, O-Chul's dialogue is likely a reference to the earlier events of Miko, and her fall from the Sapphire guard.

Strip 550: +1 BFF
In panel 9, O-Chul mentions the game Go which we later see them play in Strip 651.

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Strip 551: Slow and Steady, My Ass! - No annotations yet

Strip 552: And Yet the Turtle Got Away on His Own - No annotations yet

Strip 553: Well There is That "Saint" Prestige Class - No annotations yet

Strip 554: You're No Help at All
In panel 10, Elan’s line about not leaving one of our own behind is in reference to Banjo, his hand puppet.

Strip 555: Half-Dragons Are Even Worse
In panel 4, we find out that the Orcs worship Banjo because his clothes match the makeup of the island – 2 caves on a gray mountain match Banjo’s hat, 3 reefs on a blue sea match Banjo’s robes.
In panel 11, we see that Orc tongues are blue.

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Strip 556: Nuthin' But Net - No annotations yet

Strip 557: The Puppet Mistress - No annotations yet

Strip 558: Sort of Like a Reverse Psion - No annotations yet

Strip 559: An Introduction to Comparative Theology - No annotations yet

Strip 560: Meanwhile, His Teammate Was in Rhodes
In panel 1, they enter a hatch door which is a reference to the television show – LOST, in which the characters are on an island and find hatches. The logo further’s the reference. There is a smiley face in the logo on the panel.
In panel 4, the sign on the wall reads - Greg Initiative, which is a reference to the sit-com Dharma and Greg, since in LOST it's the Dharma Initative. The station is referred to as The Smiley Face, furthering the LOST reference from the 1st panel.
In Panel 5, Therkla's dialogue and setting she is in reference Bruce Wayne in Wayne Manor in the Batman Series, and how he was inspired to become a vigilante (in his case a bat, not a ninja).
In Panel 11, Cyclops on an island with the men dressed like greeks is a reference to Homer's - The Odyssey. You can see a greek-esque ship in faintly in the background.
The title of this strip is a reference to Cyclops’ Teammate – Colossus, and the Colossus of Rhodes.

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Strip 561: Pop Idolatry - No annotations yet

Strip 562: Heroic Fantasy
In panels 1 and 2, Lord Kubota is reading the 4th Edition core rulebooks. The box they are in has the Amazon symbol on it. These both reflect the day that this Strip came out, which was the same day those that pre-ordered the 4th Edition rulebooks on Amazon got them. Apparently, Kubota was one of them.

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Strip 563: Air Mail - No annotations yet

Strip 564: It's What's For Dinner
In the last panel, we see the rest of the Magic Mouth’s interrupted speech from Strip 324.

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Strip 565: The Test of the Memory - No annotations yet

Strip 566: One for the FAQ - No annotations yet

Strip 567: The Simplest Explanation - No annotations yet

Strip 568: A Sign That You Have a Problem - No annotations yet

Strip 569: Justice Can Be a Messy Business - No annotations yet

Strip 570: Clean Slate
In panel 10 we see Mr. Scruffy dodging Belkar’s puke.

Strip 571: Return Engagement
In panel 2, we see that the Teleport spell splits the word Tele-port, between the locations before and after the spell. This is evidenced again in panel 8.
In panel 4, we see the Lizardfolk caster has a diamond in his hand as the component for the spell.

Strip 572: The Resistance of Memory
In panel 7, the Oracle mentions an important client is flying in. We later find out this client is the Adult Black Dragon that attacks Vaarsuvius in Strip 628.

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Strip 573: Slumber Party - No annotations yet

Strip 574: A Seller's Market - No annotations yet

Strip 575: I Think They're in One of the Rulebooks, Right?
In panel 9, we see the skull of a Riding Bug, which we later encounter a living version of in Strip 683.
In panel 10, Heironymous Grubbwiggler names his assistant as Giro, which is an anagram of Igor. Igor has been the name of the hunchbacked butler/assistant in several horror films.

Strip 576: Construction Workers
In panel 1, Heironymous Grubbwiggler says Roker shall see one more sunrise. He’s referring to the weather man from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Broadcasting_Company ]NBC[/url]’s Today news show – Al Roker. NBC is an American television network.

Strip 577: You Can Take the Rogue Out of the City...
In panel 4, the sap Haley uses is the one she looted from Isamu’s corpse in Strip 521. He, in turn, bought the sap from the Duergar in 531.

Strip 578: A Slick Getaway
In page 2, panel 8; the far right Golem with the baseball head is a reference to the New York Mets baseball team mascot – Mr. Met. Since his head is a baseball, he is similar to the other Golems because he has stitches as well.

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Strip 579: What They Need is a Writ of Habeas Corpus - No annotations yet

Strip 580: Hey, I Need to Sell Them Somehow
In the last panel, we see that Crystal’s tongue is pierced.

Strip 581: A Sight for Sore Eyes
In page 1, panel 3; we see that one of Crystal’s opponents in the poker game has an ace tucked in her boot. The other of Crystal’s opponents is Jenny the Bard/Rogue, who is named in Strip Strip 611

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Strip 582: Moonlight Rendezvous - No annotations yet

Strip 583: Love's Sweet Sting
In panel 4, Qarr mentions he is missing the Olympics, which is accurate, because the strip was posted in August of 2008, when the 2008 Summer Olympics were being played.

Strip 584: Improbable Causes
In page 1, panel 1; we see that in Vaarsuvius’ Veil spell, each size category is depicted as a different type of plant. Dwarves are bushes, and humans and elves are trees. Vaarsuvius’s tree is twisty and sickly, which matches his current physical state.

Strip 585: Immaterial Components
In panel 1, Qarr is visible, if just barely.

Strip 586: No Encounter is an Island Unto Itself
In panel 2, Therkla hits one guard in the stomach, which makes the sound effect – *gasp!*, and one guard in the crotch, which makes the sound effect – *nuts!*

Strip 587: What to Expect When You're Expecting Assassins
In panel 3, Daigo says that he hopes he doesn’t miss all the kicking and immediately in the next panel is interrupted by a kick from a ninja.

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Strip 588: His Name Probably Helps, Too - No annotations yet

Strip 589: Entrance Qualifications - No annotations yet

Strip 590: Role Reversal
In the last panel, Kazumi has on shackles, likely because she put up such a fight being captured.

Strip 591: Antipathy for the Devil
In panel 1, when an enlarged Durkon (from his Thor’s Might spell) drops his hammer, it begins to shrink back to normal size immediately.

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Strip 592: Stuck in the Middle - No annotations yet

Strip 593: Another Choice
In page 1, panel 9; in the background you can see the devil that was turned to stone poking out of the trees on the island.
On page 2, last panel; you can see Lord Kubota beginning to row away in a row boat in the bottom right corner of the panel. It is the same row boat the Elan and Therkla use to get there in Strip 586.

Strip 594: Rock the Boat
In panel 1, we see that Lord Kubota doesn’t effectively know how to row a boat. He should be facing the other direction.

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Strip 595: Trial of the Century - No annotations yet

Strip 596: Convenience Story - No annotations yet

Strip 597: Threat Assessment - No annotations yet

Strip 598: To Say a Few Words - No annotations yet

Strip 599: Separate Ways - No annotations yet

Strip 600: Headed Down - No annotations yet
Spoiler: Original Post
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Quote:

Originally Posted by veti

What I'd appreciate more is not so much "pointing out of things you may not have noticed within the strips themselves", and much more "pointing out connections to sources/media outside the comic", e.g. GI Joe, Harry Potter, LotR, Star Wars etc.

For instance, Fruit Pie the Sorceror - to this day, I really don't know what that refers to. Ditto the owlbear and 'How many licks does it take...?' It'd be nice to have an Annotation list that explained those things.

But the note for Strip 21, for instance - that's just something within the comic yourself. If you noticed it, you smile - if not, you don't, but I don't think you gain anything from having the joke explained. If anything, I'd feel either (a) mildly disappointed with myself, or (b) mildly irritated at having to read through it, depending on whether or not I'd noticed it myself.

Well, anything you would like pointed out that you don't understand, post the update number and panel, and I'll see if I can explain it, or perhaps someone else can, and then we'll add it. This is an ongoing list, after all! As for explanation of jokes...perhaps we should separate things with in comic jokes to references, as in, two different categories, so people can pick and choose which they go through? I just felt one list was a bit more tidy, and easier to handle/read. As in, I don't see it as likely that people would go through the comic three times, one in each category, or something. But I would love suggestions if you have any!
2013-10-02, 09:22 PM
LOTRfan

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

I noticed the annotation for 399. While what you wrote is true, I think that the parallel between Varsuvius' being okay with binding Nale's soul to prevent him from being resurrected and the black dragon's plan to bind the souls of his spouse and children to prevent them from being resurrected to be more significant, personally.

That's just my two cents, though.
2013-10-02, 09:22 PM
NerdyKris

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

Quote:

Originally Posted by veti

For instance, Fruit Pie the Sorceror - to this day, I really don't know what that refers to.

Google "Hostess Fruit Pies". There were absurd comics in the 80's that involved various super heroes defeating the villain by giving them fruit pies to stop them.

Quote:

Ditto the owlbear and 'How many licks does it take...?'

Google "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll pop?". It was an ad campaign where an owl would lick the pop two times, then bite it.
2013-10-02, 10:26 PM
DaggerPen

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

Typos:

Quote:

18 – In panel 3, we see Belkar and Elan say they are surprised, referring to the surprise round that occurs at the beginning of combat. Haley is unaffected due to

Due to...?

Quote:

113 – In panel 7, we see Roy’s brother Eric’s first appearance, hiding behind their mother’s chair. He is seen again in update

Update...?

Also, not a typo, but:

Quote:

254 – In panel 5, the head master introduces Pompey. His name is a play on that Pompey (the opposite of Vaarsuvius in the Linear Guild) is a reference to Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii. His hair is the same as Vaarsuvius’ robe color, and his robes match Vaarsuvius’ hair color. In panel 9, we see that Pompey is depicted as a half elf by only having on elf ear. Nale points this out in panel 13, by calling him ear boy.

His belt color is also the color of V's cape, his cape runes are the color of V's clasp, and his clasp is the color of V's robes.
2013-10-02, 10:59 PM
veti

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

Quote:

Originally Posted by NerdyKris

Google "Hostess Fruit Pies". There were absurd comics in the 80's that involved various super heroes defeating the villain by giving them fruit pies to stop them.

Google "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll pop?". It was an ad campaign where an owl would lick the pop two times, then bite it.

That's fine, and thank you for giving me the missing terms to Google. But my point is still: this is the sort of information that it would be useful to have in a list of annotations.

I've never seen either those comics or that ad campaign. Likewise, I've never heard the slogan "Knowing is half the battle". If I'd never heard of Drizz't Whatsisname, I'd have no idea what 'Zz'dtri' references. And so on. There are hundreds of references like that, which you can't pick up from within the comic no matter how carefully you scrutinise each frame, because they require info that just isn't there.

Some of those are explained in the present set of annotations, but not all. And a lot of what is explained, doesn't require any outside knowledge. So I'm just giving my opinion of what sort of details I'd like to see included in a file/thread like this.

I think a good rule of thumb would be: every annotation should include a link to a page that's not hosted on, or about, this site. Preferably, to a site (like Wikipedia or IMDB) that has a reasonable chance of still being there in 2 or 5 years' time, rather than some random blog. If you can't find anything like that to link to - then maybe it shouldn't be listed at all. (And links to TVTropes should only be counted if the site actually references a trope - as with Redcloak and the lampshade - not merely for using it.)
2013-10-02, 11:08 PM
Gray Mage

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

I think that if something in the strip is a callback to something that happened previously in the strip, it could be incluided, but stuff from the same page or very close to it shouldn't. The one about page 41 strikes me as something that doesn't need to be in.
2013-10-02, 11:15 PM
Kornaki

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

Strip 41's note does fall pretty flat amongst the rest of them, but I think there are some fairly hidden jokes within a single comic that are worth noting in this, like 331. I agree though that any outside references in the comic should be explained here. Perhaps a more reasonable rule is that it's only worth making observations linking things that occur in two different parts of the comic. Belkar and the goblin are in the same part of the comic, but 331's note is linking things occurring in several different panels.

Overall though excellent work combing through all those threads and making this!

EDIT TO ADD: Heck, even things like 380 are nice, so maybe the moral of the story is that strip 41's note is alone as being unworthy of its place amongst the rest of this work

Also, you link/cite comic 448 when you really meant 446.
In the description of 729 and 732 your links to comic 732 go to the wrong comic.
You have several comic 741s in a row (in case you can't tell I am consuming the entirety of this as fast as I can)
Your first 754 description is a description of 753
Something that is pointed out in both comics separately but the connection isn't drawn between them is that in 794, Sabine's tail curls around Elan's leg similar to 365 with Nale's leg
2013-10-03, 08:17 AM
TheWombatOfDoom

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide
The Annotated Order of the Stick
Strips 601 to 700
Previous Page | Index | Next Page
Spoiler: Strips 601-700
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Strip 601: She Obviously Doesn't Have the Endurance Feet - No annotations yet

Strip 602: Clerical Temp - No annotations yet

Strip 603: Familiarity Breeds Piercing Damage - No annotations yet

Strip 604: Bailout Plan
In panel 7, we see that Haley’s wound retroactively gets smaller when she realizes that the rogue didn’t sneak attack her.
In panel 8, we are introduced to the Rogue Guild’s Fighter Outreach program member – Yor. Yor backwards is Roy.

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Strip 605: Return of the King - No annotations yet

Strip 606: The Philosophy of Chaos
In this strip, a sick and dreaming Belkar with Mr. Scruffy watching over him is overlaid over the entire page.

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Strip 607: Gherkin Her Chain - No annotations yet

Strip 608: Mean Girls
In panel 4, when Crystal attacks the dummy decoy in the shower, the sound effects to the right reference the sounds happening in the shower scene of the Alfred Hitchcock movie – Psycho.
In panel 6, the sap Haley uses is the one she looted from Isamu’s corpse in Strip 521. He, in turn, bought the sap from the Duergar in 531.
In panel 9, we see that Ian Starshine’s hair is starting to grey.

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Strip 609: It Takes TWO Thieves, Actually - No annotations yet

Strip 610: You're It
In page 2, panel 7; Mr. Scruffy is licking Belkar’s hand to try and wake him up.

Strip 611: None Left Standing
In page 1, panel 4; the only words not obscured by mist are In danger and Belkar, with Belkar’s outline being visible right next to it.
In page 2, panel 4; Mr. Scruffy does claw damage to the Rogue Sorcerer’s face.
In page 2, panel 6; Mr. Scruffy also assists Belkar in killing the dwarf.

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Strip 612: Technically, the "Fish" Version is a Subset of This One - No annotations yet

Strip 613: I Need a Hero - No annotations yet

Strip 614: A Cut Above
In panel 4, Haley references when she cut her hair once before, when she decided she didn’t want to dye it anymore. This is also referenced by her short hair personality in Strip 319, expanding that she was "sick of all this emo crap" when she cut her hair.

Strip 615: It's a Real Life-Saver
In panel 1, we see that Haley is standing on an armchair in order to reach the bow she takes off the wall.
In the last panel, Celia’s wing is damaged in the Charging Grapple Attack.

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Strip 616: An Opponent or Rival Whom a Person Cannot Overcome - No annotations yet

Strip 617: Power Meeting - No annotations yet

Strip 618: Flank Cut - No annotations yet

Strip 619: Wow, That's a Spicy Meatball! - No annotations yet

Strip 620: Probably About an "8" - No annotations yet

Strip 621: At Least There Weren't Any Cryptograms - No annotations yet

Strip 622: Don't Hate the Player Character... - No annotations yet

Strip 623: Running Away
In panel 8, the Azurite soldier says to Vaarsuvius, I hope you choke on your useless magic, which V does in Strip 657 when Xykon chokes him in panel 13.

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Strip 624: This Happens to Telemarketers All the Time - No annotations yet

Strip 625: Bargain Hunter - No annotations yet

Strip 626: Good to the Last Drip - No annotations yet

Strip 627: Power Outage
In panel 1, the Adult Black Dragon responds to Vaarsuvius' spell the same way her son, the Young Adult Black Dragon, did in Strip 182. They both respond with a flat - "No."

Strip 628: Every Parent's Worst Nightmare
In page 1, panel 7; When the black dragon screams, she spits 2 drops of acid. They start burning holes in the ground where they landed in panel 9.
In page 1, panel 10; the important client the Oracle mentions to Roy in Strip 572 was the Adult Black Dragon.

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Strip 629: One Chance - No annotations yet

Strip 630: Shoot the Messenger
In panels 6, 7 and 10; Qarr says the same exact line in each of his attempts to contact one of Vaarsuvius’ allies. The only difference is in panel 10, Inkyrius says AHHH! instead of Qarr.

Strip 631: Who Doesn't Get Ten of These a Week?
In panel 8, we find out that V’s children are adopted.

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Strip 632: My Three Fiends - No annotations yet

Strip 633: Where Do You See Yourself in Five Million Years?
In page 1, panel 4; we see that two of the souls involved in the soul splice are casters in the necromancy and conjuring – the two schools that Vaarsuvius is barred from.

Strip 634: The Wrong Reasons
In page 2, panel 7; we see Qarr has been impaled on a pike.

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Strip 635: I See a Red Robe and I Want to Paint it Black - No annotations yet

Strip 636: Shattered, Shattered - No annotations yet

Strip 637: It Only Shows Reality Programming
In panels 4 - 10, the fiend, Cedrick, is using the brazier and stand to make a bowl of popcorn.

Strip 638: A Dragon's Victory
In page 2, we see that the shape changed Vaarsuvius still has three fingers, unlike the usual dragon that has four.

Strip 639: If They Pull a Knife...
The title of the strip is a reference to a quote made by Sean Connery from the film "The Untouchables". The full quote is - "If they pull a knife, you pull a gun. If they send one of yours to the hospital, you send one of theirs to the morgue. That's the Chicago way." In other words, the only way to defeat someone more powerful than you is to escalate the violence before they do, which is exactly what V does in this situation.
In page 2, panel 6; the continent the spell branches out from matches the maps we see later in Strips 680 and 698. From this, we can see that the point the spell originates is in the Elven Lands, and so we know exactly where Vaarsuvius' home is on the Western Continent.
In page 3, panel 12; we see that V’s Familicide spell unintentionally saves a bunny from the black dragon it was being pursued by.

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Strip 640: Madness - No annotations yet

Strip 641: For Every Action - No annotations yet

Strip 642: Choice - No annotations yet

Strip 643: A Wizard Did It
In page 1, panel 6; we see the window that Elan crashed through in Strip 589 is boarded up.

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Strip 644: An Unsung Legend - No annotations yet

Strip 645: It's Where the Cool Kids Swim
In panel 4, we see a poster in the background that says, "In case of fire, use stairs for looting. Saftey a close second!"

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Strip 646: ...And It Feels So Good - No annotations yet

Strip 647: Be Prepared
In Panels 9 & 10, Elan's dialogue is referencing the events of Strip 593 in which the ninja Therkla died to poison. This is why he takes Neutralize Poison as his 4th Level Spell, so that he never has to be helpless in this situation again.

Strip 648: A Dish Best Served With +1d6 Cold Damage
In the last panel, Haley mentions that Crystal said [Haley] could borrow her knife. She is in fact telling the truth. Crystal mentions Haley can do this in 645, in the first panel.

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Strip 649: It's a Shame She Didn't Grab That Script While She Was There - No annotations yet

Strip 650: A Lot Can Happen in Ten Minutes - No annotations yet

Strip 651: Two Eyes in the Dark
In panel 7, we see that the game board they are using for their game of Go is scratched into the floor.

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Strip 652: No Respect for the Wicked - No annotations yet

Strip 653: Fun While It Lasted
Tsukiko has a stuffed Xykon doll that she sleeps with, and slippers that match her different colored eyes. She is also wearing see-through PJ’s. We see the Xykon doll again in Strip 700

Strip 654: Cages (Steel and Otherwise)
The Go game is still depicted as a mess on the floor.

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Strip 655: With a Critical Eye - No annotations yet

Strip 656: It Probably Squeaks, Too - No annotations yet

Strip 657: Second Chance - No annotations yet

Strip 658: A Bird in Hand - No annotations yet

Strip 659: Flight of the Phylactery - No annotations yet

Strip 660: Lucky Breaks
In panel 9, we see Xykon’s phylactery bounce off of Redcloak’s Statue’s right eye, which is the eye that Redcloak had been stabbed in by O-Chul in Strip 655. The phylactery also makes a different sound when hitting the metal shield in the next panel than it does when hitting stone.
In panel 10, we see the man hole cover says Azure City Public Works on it. The caution barrier next to it has torches on it instead of flashing lights.

Strip 661: The Path of Least Expectation
Xykon has his hand in O-Chul’s mouth when he is preparing to cast meteor swarm.

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Strip 662: The Price is Right - No annotations yet

Strip 663: Or Mention That He's Getting Too Old for This - No annotations yet

Strip 664: Down to Earth - No annotations yet

Strip 665: In the Flesh
In panel 8, we see that Celia’s shirt is backless to allow for her wings.
In panel 9, it appears that Roy is using Vaarsuvius’ cape to cover himself.

Strip 666: But Seriously, She Won't
In panel 1, we see that Roy has changed into his extra set of clothes – the dress clothes he got for his date with Celia in Strip 310.

Strip 667: Mending Wounds
In the last panel, we see that Tiamut’s so angry, she’s spewing all 5 (if tiny) breath weapons out of the phone – Fire, lightning, chlorine gas, cold, and acid.
In this same panel, when their counting up the time allotted from the soul splice, we can see that Haerta's time was a multiple of 6 seconds, since she broke loose on V's turn in Strip 641, but that Jephton's and Ganonron's time is not a multiple of 6 seconds, since they broke loose on Xykon's turn in Strip 653.

Strip 668: Moving the Pieces
In panel 10, we see the Linear Guild set up in the same positioning as the Order of the Stick is in the Giant in the Playground Comics banner of the Order of the Stick comic. Yik Yik, Zz’dtri, and Hilgya are crossed out at the time of their first encounter with the Order of the Stick. Yik Yik was killed, Hilgya left the Guild, and Zz’dtri was taken away by the lawyers.

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Strip 669: Logical Conclusions - No annotations yet

Strip 670: The War Council
On page 2, panel 8; when the elves teleport in they knock a Hobgoblin off of the cliff. In the next panel, he is still falling off the frame.
On page 2, panels 10 and 11; the sending spell the elves cast compromises of exactly 25 words, ending with Liberation commencing.

Strip 671: Also, She Needs Her Clothes Back Now
In panel 6, Elan mentions that Hinjo can keep the eyepatch he took from Elan in Strip 502.
In the same panel, Belkar references his plan to Daigo to catapult him at the throne room in Strip 461.

Strip 672: A Familiar Conclusion
In page 1, panel 2; O-Chul looks at Lien’s shark with apprehension due to the primary form of torture he had when he was a captive in Strip 541, and also references Indiana Jones, who has a similar line to O-Chul’s, but regarding snakes instead.
In page 1, panel 5; we see Durkon begin planning to create Mass Death Ward, which he later completes in Strip 750.
In page 1, panel 7; we see Mr. Scruffy and Belkar cuddling. Vaarsuvius sees this and immediately summons his familiar, Blackwing, to make amends – implying he wants the companionship that Belkar has.
In page 2, panel 1; we see a reference to Strip 155, where Vaarsuvius first establishes that Blackwing chooses not to talk.

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Strip 673: Too Slow - No annotations yet

Strip 674: The Elf Who Cried Raven - No annotations yet

Strip 675: It Costs an Armor Leg
In the last panel, Haley mentions that she expected Elan to "spend most of [their gold] purchasing local bridges". This is referencing a scam that began in the early 1900's, where a man by the name of George C. Parker conned people into buying the Brooklyn Bridge. This coined the common saying: "If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you."

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Strip 676: There's More Than One Way to Fail a Listen Check - No annotations yet

Strip 677: This Never Happens to Jiminy Cricket
In the first panel, we see that the western continent has equally mathematically-challenged counterparts to the shop keepers we saw in Strip 135.

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Strip 676: First Step in the Process - No annotations yet

Strip 676: Oh, Right, That Other Problem... - No annotations yet

Strip 680: That's Why It's Called a Running Gag
In panel 6, we see that the rulers that Tarquin kills in Strip 725.

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Strip 681: All in the Family - No annotations yet

Strip 682: Plus, He Probably Spits, Too - No annotations yet

Strip 683: Whatever You Do, Don't Oscillate
In Panel 4, Elan's Half-Camel dialogue references a conversation he and V had in Strip 87.
In Panel 5, the man in the right corner is the same man who later gives Roy a Belt of Giant Strength in Strip 687.
In Panel 2, we see that Belkar gets visibly sun burnt in the desert because Durkon doesn’t cast Endure Heat on him in Strip Strip 682. It remains until Strip 687 when Durkon heals him.

Strip 684: V Was Only Waiting for This Moment to Arise
In this Strip, Elan makes various references to the music group - The Beatles songs through his puns, since the enemies are insects:

Panel 4: Let It Be
Panel 5: All You Need Is Love
Panel 6: Come Together
Panel 7: Here Comes the Sun
Panel 8: Fixing A Hole
Panel 9: Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
Title: Blackbird

Strip 685: On Friendship
Belkar follows through with his threat to piss in their neck hole. Also, his slaver friend, Buggy Lou is a play on words for Bugalú, a form of latin dance.
In the last panel, the Bug men have Xs in their eyes, instead of their eyes becoming Xs.

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Strip 686: Also, At Lower Altitude - No annotations yet

Strip 687: Actually, That's Probably You
When Roy puts on the Belt of Giant Strength, he is then depicted wearing the belt with a green line.

Strip 688: The Comics Must Flow
The title references a common saying "The Spice must flow" within the science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, "Dune". Spice was a highly addictive drug in the novel, and it appears in the comic in Panel 2, where Belkar is gifted Spice from the 'spice vendor'. Spice in the novel makes the user's eyes turn blue, which Belkar's do as well. Spice is found on the desert planet, Arrakis, which looks similar to the desert in the western continent in Order of the Stick. Last, Arrakis has colossal worm-like creatures called Sandworms, which appear very similar to the Purple Worm that Belkar attracts with the spice.
In panel 6, we see that Mr. Scruffy hears the Purple Worm coming 2 panels before it appears. He’s shown running away in the next two panels.

Strip 689: Live Bait
In panel 5, we see evidence that Roy still has on the Ring of Jumping.

Strip 690: Riders on the Worm
In panel 2, Durkon shows he finally has picked up on nautical terms, an issue he was displayed to have in Strip 507.
In panel 3, Belkar is shown reading the book - Dune - to learn about the Worm.

Strip 691: All Available Resources
In the last panel, Roy mentions Elan has an 80% chance of tripping over something, which he immediately does – a treasure chest.

Strip 692: Searchin'
Panel 10 shows that Elan attacked the cactus in panel nine in order to give Haley the flower that was on it (she is shown holding it and smiling), and he got cactus spines stuck in him for the effort.

Strip 693: Tragically, His Arms Would Be Too Short for the Lute
The title is referencing Elan's drawing in Panel 11, as Tyrannosaurus Rex had relatively short arms.

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Strip 694: Poor Coordination - No annotations yet

Strip 695: Paranoia Will Destroy Ya
In panel 5, we see Girard blames Soon for Kraagor’s death, shown in 276.

Strip 696: Still a Long Way to Go
In panel 4, Elan is using the same stick that is used in the Cast of Characters page that the group is named after. The words that he wrote appear like a quickly typed message that might appear in a comments section on YouTube or from frantically typing on a QWERTY style keyboard.

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Strip 697: Stuck in the Sand Trap - No annotations yet

Strip 698: Stopping for Direction
In page 2, panel 1; the map shows the Empires of Blood, Sweat, and Tears. We also see the Elven lands in the north area of the continent, separated from the rest of the continent by the Goaway Mountains.
In page 2, panel 8; the scrying spell that observes Mr. Scruffy is Zz’dtri’s, as evidenced by being the color of his dwemer.

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Strip 699: Escape Clause - No annotations yet

Strip 700: They Would Likely Both Disagree with That Sentiment
In panel 1, we see Tsukiko’s stuffed Xykon doll for a second time, lying on her bed. We saw it originally in Strip 653. In this same panel, we see she has a picture of Xykon on Tsukiko’s wall.
Spoiler: Original Post
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Quote:

Originally Posted by veti

That's fine, and thank you for giving me the missing terms to Google. But my point is still: this is the sort of information that it would be useful to have in a list of annotations.

I've never seen either those comics or that ad campaign. Likewise, I've never heard the slogan "Knowing is half the battle". If I'd never heard of Drizz't Whatsisname, I'd have no idea what 'Zz'dtri' references. And so on. There are hundreds of references like that, which you can't pick up from within the comic no matter how carefully you scrutinise each frame, because they require info that just isn't there.

Some of those are explained in the present set of annotations, but not all. And a lot of what is explained, doesn't require any outside knowledge. So I'm just giving my opinion of what sort of details I'd like to see included in a file/thread like this.

Again, link the update page for any cultural references you don't understand, and I'll be happy to set it up on here. While going through each page alone I could do this, it is significantly easier if others do so, especially for things like D and D rules, as I cannot access the site that quotes SRD in my current location. TL;DR - Let me know what you don't understand, and I'll work on putting it in! :smallcool:

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaggerPen

Due to...?

Quote:

Originally Posted by thatSeniorGuy

For #18, you didn't complete the second sentence. I'm guessing you meant to say: "Haley is not surprised as she made her spot/listen check"? (Not sure, haven't actually played 3rd edition.)

Yeah, I'll work on changing that. I went to go look up the D & D terms and then got distracted. Still haven't gotten the term! :smallredface:

Quote:

Originally Posted by LOTRfan

I noticed the annotation for 399. While what you wrote is true, I think that the parallel between Varsuvius' being okay with binding Nale's soul to prevent him from being resurrected and the black dragon's plan to bind the souls of his spouse and children to prevent them from being resurrected to be more significant, personally.

That's just my two cents, though.

That's actually one I didn't connect! Hmmm...how to word that in the annotation....

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaggerPen

His belt color is also the color of V's cape, his cape runes are the color of V's clasp, and his clasp is the color of V's robes.

Good call, I think I'll add that to my growing Order of the Stick vs Linear Guild section.

Quote:

Originally Posted by veti

I think a good rule of thumb would be: every annotation should include a link to a page that's not hosted on, or about, this site. Preferably, to a site (like Wikipedia or IMDB) that has a reasonable chance of still being there in 2 or 5 years' time, rather than some random blog. If you can't find anything like that to link to - then maybe it shouldn't be listed at all. (And links to TVTropes should only be counted if the site actually references a trope - as with Redcloak and the lampshade - not merely for using it.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gray Mage

I think that if something in the strip is a callback to something that happened previously in the strip, it could be incluided, but stuff from the same page or very close to it shouldn't. The one about page 41 strikes me as something that doesn't need to be in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kornaki

Strip 41's note does fall pretty flat amongst the rest of them, but I think there are some fairly hidden jokes within a single comic that are worth noting in this, like 331. I agree though that any outside references in the comic should be explained here. Perhaps a more reasonable rule is that it's only worth making observations linking things that occur in two different parts of the comic. Belkar and the goblin are in the same part of the comic, but 331's note is linking things occurring in several different panels.

Heck, even things like 380 are nice, so maybe the moral of the story is that strip 41's note is alone as being unworthy of its place amongst the rest of this work

On annotations, I'll be using wikipedia for references to real life things, youtube for specific dialogue reflection, and IMDB works for some things. I will not be using TVtropes if I can help it, and I won't be using links to blogs for anything. I will be post things other than direct explainations to real life references because, as mentioned by Grey and Kornaki, there more than just that in this thread, like call backs, and in OotS universe references and notable facts. Real life references are certainly a priority to have in here, so going forward, if any of you see any that I've missed, give me a link. You can even match my format (which I've set up for ease of everyone) and make your own for me to add.

On the subject of update 41, it's been removed, and moved to the "get it off, get it off" gag topic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kornaki

Overall though excellent work combing through all those threads and making this!

Thank you! I've been compiling for weeks, and as you can see, there are some errors, but that's because of sheer volume of information processing more than anything, haha. Glad you like it.:smallsmile:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kornaki

Also, you link/cite comic 448 when you really meant 446.
In the description of 729 and 732 your links to comic 732 go to the wrong comic.
You have several comic 741s in a row (in case you can't tell I am consuming the entirety of this as fast as I can)
Your first 754 description is a description of 753
Something that is pointed out in both comics separately but the connection isn't drawn between them is that in 794, Sabine's tail curls around Elan's leg similar to 365 with Nale's leg

All fixed save the last, because I'll need to do a bit with that one. Didn't even notice it curled around his leg the panel before the one I reference! Nice catches, all around.
2013-10-03, 08:38 AM
Lord Torath

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

In 415, you misspelled "Francois"
2013-10-03, 09:09 AM
TheWombatOfDoom

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide
The Annotated Order of the Stick
Strips 701 to 800
Previous Page | Index | Next Page
Spoiler: Strips 701-800
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Strip 701: Curtains for You
In panel 6, we see that when Redcloak looks in the mirror, he is nearly identical to his brother, Right-Eye, who had an eye patch over his right eye in Start of Darkness.
In panel 11, the Goblin 4th in from the bottom right most corner Goblin (when following the diagonal of the row) is a more yellow-green than the other Goblins depicted, suggesting a Goblin/Hobgoblin half breed. There are also several blue cloaked hobgoblins in the crowd.

Strip 702: One for the History Books
In panel 7, the flag symbolizes – the Dark One (Purple star) standing above the three other stars. The book in the last panel describes the three races that reside within Gobbotopia – Goblins, Bugbears and Hobgoblins, and Green, Brown and Orange stars represent each race respectively in the flag.
In the last panel, The Blood Splattered Banner is a parody of The Star Spangled Banner.

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Strip 703: Meet the New Boss - No annotations yet

Strip 704: Dead Men Give No Speeches - No annotations yet

Strip 705: Those Don't Take Over Until the Graveyard Shift
In panel 3, we see that Goblin Dan, who discovered the use for the passed out hydra in Strip 326, has expanded to Gobbotopia.
In panel 7, we see the Goblins have changed the "Azure City Prison" sign to "OUR City Prison".
In the last panel, Nui took the colloquial term "skeleton crew", which typically means "lightly staffed" literally, as in "a crew of skeletons." In D&D, skeletons resist damage from non-bludgeoning weapons, she has a brought a Morningstar and a Warhammer. She also has several vials of Holy Water, which can be applied to a weapon for bonus damage against Undead, or thrown like a grenade for damage against Undead.

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Strip 706: He's Not Even Supposed to Be Here Today - No annotations yet

Strip 707: That's Probably Why There Are, Like, 17 Types - No annotations yet

Strip 708: An Animated Discussion - No annotations yet

Strip 709: No Scry Zone
In the last panel, we see O-Chul was able to fall asleep despite the rain. This is because of Strip 550, were we found out that rain helps O-Chul sleep.

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Strip 710: Does He Get XP for Their Buzz? - No annotations yet

Strip 711: The Rouge's Guild
In the last panel, the Sisterhood of Aton logo is a parody of the actual cosmetic company – Avon.

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Strip 712: Neutralize Elf - No annotations yet

Strip 713: Oh, Right. That. - No annotations yet

Strip 714: This Whole Time, He'd Thought of It as the Snack That Got Away
In the last panel, Blackwing finally realizes after 40 Strips that Haley had revealed that Vaarsuvius was the purple lizard that was in Strip 178.

Strip 715: Wanted
In panel 3, we find out that Gannji and Enor found Elan because he visited every tavern in town, which we see in Strip 710.

Strip 716: She Didn't Miss
In panel 3, Pterodactyls fly around Gannji’s head instead of birds when he’s stunned.

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Strip 717: No Incarceration Without Compensation - No annotations yet

Strip 718: Spring Break Never Dies - No annotations yet

Strip 719: Seat of Power
In panel 3, Elan says that if Malack "doesn't tell us this [background] stuff now, he'll just spew it out later in the middle of an action scene." Malack does just this while having his duel with Durkon in Strip 874.

Strip 720: Breakfast of Champions
This Strip has the same name as Strip 401– Breakfast of Champions.

Strip 721: Pain Threshold
In the last panel, we can see Enor still holding the chart from the previous panel in his left hand.

Strip 722: Block and Tackle
In panel 2, Haley is unharmed by the blade barrier while Vaarsuvius and Elan are, due to her Evasion special ability.

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Strip 723: Generally Relative - No annotations yet

Strip 724: It IS Fairly Spicy, However
In panel 1, we see Vaarsuvius finally gets his/her Strength healed by Malack after having been poisoned by the magical arrow in Strip 712. V has the arrow in his/her stomach in every strip between these Strips.

Strip 725: The Significantly-More-Secret Origin of Tarquin and Nale
In panel 4, we see the military rulers Taquin kills to conquer the area that the Empire of Blood is in are the same rulers we see taking over the kingdom in Strip 680.
In panel 5, we again see that the young Nale was already growing facial hair.
In panel 7, the Red Dragon depicted is the Empress of Blood before they took over.

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Strip 726: Mammals Can't Seem to Get Enough of Those Things - No annotations yet

Strip 727: And It Will Never Work Again - No annotations yet

Strip 728: The Price of Yummies
In the last panel, Belkar smells ylang-ylang, which we found out Haley’s Aton moisturizer is made of in Strip 711. We also see that Roy picked up Haley’s bow, which she lost in Strip 713.

Strip 729: No Real Shocker
In panel 10, Roy loses Haley’s bow when it is knocked off of his back. Durkon finds it in Strip 732.

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Strip 730: Brunchroom Brawl - No annotations yet

Strip 731: Long Tail of the Law - No annotations yet

Strip 732: The Papers Chase
In panel 5, Durkon exclaims, "Och, not AGAIN!" This is referencing the last time he was left behind, in Strip 72. Durkon also finds Haley’s bow and Crystal’s knife in the inn, which he picks up to return to Haley when he sees her next.
In the last panel, the guard estimates Durkon will be in the Empire for 20 strips. Between this Strip and Strip 818 when the Order of the Stick leave the Empire of Blood, he is in a total of 20 Strips, making the guard correct.

Strip 733: Collect Call
In panel 7, Belkar references the year in prison term he still owes from his sentencing in Strip 420.

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Strip 734: Maybe He Can Get Credit for Time Served - No annotations yet

Strip 735: Of Clerks and Clerics - No annotations yet

Strip 736: Do You Like Comics About Gladiators? - No annotations yet

Strip 737: Comparative Mythology
In panel 5, we see Mr. Scruffy eating while Malack and Durkon chat. In panel 6, we see that Durkon spikes the tea with some liquor from a flask he was carrying to make the tea taste better. In panel 12, the dwarf Hel and Thor are fighting over has a set of ???’s over his head. In the last panel, we find out that Durkon’s Grandfather was exempt from going to Hel in the afterlife, since he died of liver failure.

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Strip 738: Pooling Resources - No annotations yet

Strip 739: A New Friend
In panel 5, the library has a sign that says, Dewey decimal system strictly enforced.

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Strip 740: The Great(ish) Escape - No annotations yet

Strip 741: Scheduling Conflict
In the last panel, the poster shows what Thog will first appear to look like during the Gladiatorial games in Strip 786. The figure he is chopping in half looks uncannily like Roy.

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Strip 742: Monkey Do - No annotations yet

Strip 743: Dinner Conversion - No annotations yet

Strip 744: A Tale of Two Suppers
In panel 1, we see the serving personnel are all slaves by their minimum clothing and slave collars.

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Strip 745: It Does Beat Scissors - No annotations yet

Strip 746: Ask Your Grandparents
In panel 10, the monster that is depicted is a character from a TV show that ran from 1947 to 1957 named Kukla, Fran, and Ollie, which was a totally improvised, hour long puppet show. The depicted character name is one of the shows namesakes - Ollie, a one toothed dragon.

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Strip 747: Make It Three, Just to Be Safe - No annotations yet

Strip 748: Top of the List
In the first panel, Belkar compares Roy's fighting skill to a hexblade, a class introduced in the sourcebook Complete Warrior. Hexblades are considered to be weak, lacking any abilities that improve its melee combat skills aside from its proficiencies and attack bonus, needing its curses to soften up the opponent.
In the 4th panel, Belkar refers to Bob Saget, who hosted America's Funniest Home Videos. As Belkar implies, the program made heavy use of nut shots.
In the last panel, Belkar has a bruise on his face that is shaped like Roy’s sword, where he hit him the previous panel. Belkar's babbling references terminology from the Basic D&D set, where halflings could indeed only advance to 8th level, but advanced in "attack ranks" afterward to increase their prowess.

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Strip 749: Savings and Trust - No annotations yet

Strip 750: Making Up for Lost Time - No annotations yet

Strip 751: Tree is Within 10-ft. Radius of Apple - No annotations yet

Strip 752: Picking Locks - No annotations yet

Strip 753: Slash Attack
In panel 5, we see Tarquin’s positioning and dialogue mirror Elan’s dialogue and positioning in Strip 141.

Strip 754: Maybe She Ate a Zeppelin
In panel 6, Elan shows his papers to the guard to gain entry. In panel 7, you can make out Durkon, Ambassador Gourntonk, Tarquin, and Polozius (Zz'dtri).

Strip 755: Brought to You By Mace-y's
In page 1, panel 1; the microphones of the announcers have a drop of blood as the symbol of their network.
In page 1, panel 3; the towns the high schools are from are Clotsburg and Platelet, which are references to Blood – the name of the empire.
In page 1, panel 4; the musical Rend, is a reference to the actual musical – RENT. The characters on the float have the appearance of the actual characters, and the song they are singing parodies one of the songs in the show, Seasons of Love.
In page 2, panel 1; Sanguine Avenue is a parody of the American children’s show, Sesame Street. The characters depicted are evil parodies of the actual characters in the show:
Little Roc = Big Bird (Roc’s are a huge birds in D & D)
Felix the Mensh = Oscar the Grouch
Hurt and Burnie = Burt and Ernie
Oscar and Felix is also a reference to the broadway and TV show, The Odd Couple, who’s main characters are named Oscar and Felix.

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Strip 756: He Sure Dodged an Arrow There - No annotations yet

Strip 757: Something Blue - No annotations yet

Strip 758: Spins of the Father
In page 1, panel 9; the throne of the Weeping King – The Throne of Regrets – has what appear to be sad eyebrows sculpted into the top of it. They match the king’s eyebrows. Also his body guard to the left has a helm that’s eye hole is arched to make it appear more sad.
In page 2, panel 2; Queen Shvitzer is in a steam room because she rules the Empire of Sweat.

Strip 759: Yes, Apparently
In page 1, panel 1; Taquin reveals that the member of his party with the scarf on in panel 2 is Miron Shewdanker, who is the person who wrote Haley’s father’s ransom in Strip 131.

Strip 760: Realizations & Rationalizations
In panel 2, a panicked Elan shouts Durkon’s name along with Vaarsuvius and Haley, effectively blowing his cover.

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Strip 761: Advanced (S)wordplay - No annotations yet

Strip 762: Just Trying to Help - No annotations yet

Strip 763: Plotting Something
In page 1, panel 7; Tarquin picks up a glass of wine (it’s red, which goes with the color scheme of the Empire of Blood). As we progress through the Strip, the wine gets lower as Tarquin sips it.
In page 2, panel 11; we see the white structure in the middle of the balcony is where the Empress of Blood has been seated on her throne, which means she’s been within earshot of the comic events since Strip 754. Still, she’s likely been too distracted by the parade, or by being "awesome".

Strip 764: Small Talk
In Panel 4, Durkon unknowingly pokes fun at the situation that is literally going on behind him between Haley and Elan, as we already know what Elan is saying, so it doesn't need to be repeated a second time.

Strip 765: The Love of Money
In panel 9, we see a sign saying Go Directly to Jail, a reference to the game Monopoly.

Strip 766: Breaking In is Hard to Do
In panel 2, we see on the wooden fence the same poster that was shown in Strip 741.

Strip 767: And Yes, There is a Santa Claus
In panel 11, we see that the guard Haley bluffed into thinking he was a wallaby hopping off of the panel.

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Strip 768: +2 Embracers - No annotations yet

Strip 769: Because Really, That Would Be Less Improbable - No annotations yet

Strip 770: Hard Time - No annotations yet

Strip 771: Also, "Chib" Would Have Been Acceptable - No annotations yet

Strip 772: Haley's Commitment - No annotations yet

Strip 773: Never Mind, She'd Need a Better Bow to Use It - No annotations yet

Strip 774: Telling Lies - No annotations yet

Strip 775: Welcome to the Arena - No annotations yet

Strip 776: A Sombering Oration - No annotations yet

Strip 777: Under the Arena - No annotations yet

Strip 778: Nitpick Your Battles - No annotations yet

Strip 779: They Follow His Lead - No annotations yet

Strip 780: The Duel Everyone's Been Waiting For
In panel 1, in the background we see the feet of the Allosaurus that appears in Strip 784.

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Strip 781: Companions - No annotations yet

Strip 782: Not Yet Met His Match
In panel 5, Enor is listed as a Blue Dragon Thing for his race. We also see that the fight between #4 and #5, the fighters were named Notseenicus and Offpanélo, which is appropriate since we did not see this fight in the comic. Fighters #8 and #9 names – Vermillius and Ceruleaus are latin-esque for Red and Blue. Their fight was seen in Strip 778, as seen by their respective red and blue armor.

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Strip 783: Cold Blooded - No annotations yet

Strip 784: Unexpected - No annotations yet

Strip 785: The Cost of Freedom - No annotations yet

Strip 786: One Step Worse Than "Diminutively" - No annotations yet

Strip 787: No Time for Losers - No annotations yet

Strip 788: A Vexation Or Irritation - No annotations yet

Strip 789: Also, His Popularity Has Waned
The strip's title, "Also, His Popularity Has Waned", refers to the decline in sales and popularity of Drizzt since the original strip's publishing.
In the last panel, Zz'dtri references parody is a form of fair use, and therefore protected under copyright law. As he was clearly conceived as a parody and commentary on the archetypal "Drizzt clone", this means he's off the hook. This is also a reference to Zz'dtri's last appearance in strip 65.

Strip 790: Unfamiliar
In panel 7, Belkar’s classic opposite Kobold in the Linear Guild has a riding dog named Sir Scraggly, extending the opposite them to Mr. Scruffy, with a dog and cat opposite.

Strip 791: Don't Get MAD
The title, "Don't Get MAD" refers to both the phrase "don't get mad, get even", and to the term "Multiple Ability Dependency." MAD refers to when a character or class is reliant on having good ability scores in every stat, meaning their overall skills suffer when this isn't possible. This is a point Thog raises, as Roy has well-rounded stats, but isn't as powerful as Thog, who has ignored everything but Strength.

Strip 792: Animal Instincts
In panel 4, we see Yuk Yuk’s crossbow bolt bounce off of Vaarsuvius. This is because he/she cast the spell Stoneskin in Strip 790.

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Strip 793: Critical Thinking - No annotations yet

Strip 794: We Recommend Tsukiko
In panel 8, Sabine reacts to Elan’s kiss not only by being flabbergasted, but her tail curls up.

Strip 795: Back to the Action
In page 2, Roy denies that Thog and him have anything in common. Then in panels 7 and 8, at the climax of Roy’s denial speech - Thog reacts to his tooth getting broken the same way Roy reacted to his sword getting broken by Xykon in Strip 114. In the last panel, Thog’s loin cloth turns purple as he begins to rage.

Strip 796: Smash
In page 1, panel 7; we see a member of the audience was killed by Roy’s sword. His foam finger read, Thog fan 4 life. This is accurate, as he died while still being a fan of Thog.

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Strip 797: Bird Brained - No annotations yet

Strip 798: Change of Plans - No annotations yet

Strip 799: In the Bag - No annotations yet

Strip 800: Right Tool for the Job - No annotations yet
Spoiler: Original Post
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Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Torath

In 415, you misspelled "Francois"

Corrected, and ported down into "appearances of Francois" in the Work area. That section will have its own sections of information at some point, for now, it's being organized. :smallwink: I've only read that book once so I'm glad to have gotten that close to spelling it. :smallbiggrin:
2013-10-03, 02:03 PM
Angel Bob

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

Quote:

338 – In panel 8, Vaarsuvius’ dialogue foreshadows the events in which he sells his soul to save his own family, by saying One’s family must be defended when the need arises.

You were pretty good about using "his/her" as Vaarsuvius' pronouns, but ya done goofed on 338. :smalltongue:
2013-10-03, 10:11 PM
Reddish Mage

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

Just what I wished for. You sir, are either a noble djinni, an efreet, or a high-level spellcaster!
2013-10-03, 10:53 PM
TheWombatOfDoom

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide
The Annotated Order of the Stick
Strips 801 to 900
Previous Page | Index | Next Page
Spoiler: Strips 801-900
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Strip 801: Bound to Happen - No annotations yet

Strip 802: Took a Level in Sauceror - No annotations yet

Strip 803: Saved by the Belt
The title references the TV Series,Saved By the Bell.
In page 2, panel 8; Mr. Scruffy doesn’t knock YakYak’s riding dog through the wall, but rather a hole in the wall created by the fight between Roy and Thog in Strip 796.

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Strip 804: Where Her Loyalties Lie - No annotations yet

Strip 805: Dropping In
In panel 2, we see Elan casting an illusion tactic that he learned from Vaarsuvius in Strip 478.

Strip 806: Holy Enunciation
In panel 10, Elan misunderstands Durkon’s spell name Holy Word to mean Holey Word, which is why he names things that involve holes like a ditch, trench, or a bagel.

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Strip 807: Wild Empathy - No annotations yet

Strip 808: Five Rows Down, Three Columns Over - No annotations yet

Strip 809: Except Maybe the Undead - No annotations yet

Strip 810: The Kind That Makes Friends Easily - No annotations yet

Strip 811: A Touch of Death - No annotations yet

Strip 812: And Yet, the Canned Meat Merchant Still Gets Through
The title refers to the word Spam, which has two meanings:
A type of canned meat.
Unwanted emails or message board posts trying to sell you stuff, or to steal your money through trickery.
So, the title says [Spam] still gets through, but substitutes the wrong meaning for Spam.
In Panel 10, the dialogue is a reference to methods used to prevent spam.

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Strip 813: Pardon Me - No annotations yet

Strip 814: The Answer is Blowing in the Wind - No annotations yet

Strip 815: Close Call - No annotations yet

Strip 816: General Knowledge - No annotations yet

Strip 817: General Assistance - No annotations yet

Strip 818: Also, the Desert is Dry - No annotations yet

Strip 819: Parental Insight - No annotations yet

Strip 820: Son Catcher - No annotations yet

Strip 821: Raiders of the Lost Plot Arc - No annotations yet

Strip 822: Line Quality - No annotations yet

Strip 823: Yes, It Is - No annotations yet

Strip 824: Losers Weepers - No annotations yet

Strip 825: Good Thing He's Already Partial to Red - No annotations yet

Strip 826: Minimal Resistance - No annotations yet

Strip 827: Crushed - No annotations yet

Strip 828: A Study in Viridian
The title of the strip is an allusion the Sherlock Holmes novel "A Study in Scarlet". Viridian is likely referencing Red Cloak's skill color.
In panel 5, we see that Redcloak has a picture of the Dark One hanging on the wall of his office.

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Strip 829: Ritual Behavior - No annotations yet

Strip 830: Tidying Up - No annotations yet

Strip 831: Two of a Kind Beats King High - No annotations yet

Strip 832: Loose Ends - No annotations yet

Strip 833: Villainy Afoot - No annotations yet

Strip 834: A Seasoned Woodsman - No annotations yet

Strip 835: A Dish Best Served Warm, After All - No annotations yet

Strip 836: Best Laid Plans - No annotations yet

Strip 837: The Name of the Windy - No annotations yet

Strip 838: Either Way, Really - No annotations yet

Strip 839: Finding Something - No annotations yet

Strip 840: Thief's Tool - No annotations yet

Strip 841: Lunchtime
In Panel 6, Haley and Roy's dialogue references the conversation from Strip 12.

Strip 842: All in the Family
In page 2, panel 5; we see that Orrin Draketooth, who was depicted in Strip 816, was on the illusion schedule for the canyon. In page 2, panel 6; we see what appears to be an overhead map of the Windy Canyon.
In page 2, last panel; we see the runes that appeared in the background of Strip 841 is the Girard Draketooth family tree.

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Strip 843: Lack of Foresight - No annotations yet

Strip 844: Case In Point
In panel 2, we see Girard's gate monitoring device was color coded to match the color themes around each gate shown in Strip 276. Each letter within the sections represents the name of the person who watched over the gate, aside from the white one - Kraagor's Gate.

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Strip 845: The Last Laugh - No annotations yet

Strip 846: No Bone Unturned - No annotations yet

Strip 847: Dropping the Ball - No annotations yet

Strip 848: Acid Redux
In panel 9, we see Zz’Dtri’s first in comic kill – YukYuk.

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Strip 849: Suspicious Agreement - No annotations yet

Strip 850: not-thog
In Panel 6, Elan references the adventures he and thog had between Strip 387 and Strip 398.

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Strip 851: Passive Voice - No annotations yet

Strip 852: Under the Helmet - No annotations yet

Strip 853: The Dangers of Progress - No annotations yet

Strip 854: Not Much Chance of That - No annotations yet

Strip 855: And They Got Extra Credit For It, Too - No annotations yet

Strip 856: I Guess You Had to Be There - No annotations yet

Strip 857: The Pit of Despair - No annotations yet

Strip 858: Actually, She Did - No annotations yet

Strip 859: Smoked - No annotations yet

Strip 860: Wasn't Going to Listen to Orders Anyway - No annotations yet

Strip 861: You Should've Seen What They Did to His Pelvis - No annotations yet

Strip 862: Pop Goes Pop - No annotations yet

Strip 863: Looking for Regroup - No annotations yet

Strip 864: Bet It Would Get Funded on Kickstarter
In panel 11, we see a reference to the Rich Burlew’s (the creator of the comic) thumb injury that caused him to not be able to make comics for three months while he recovered.

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Strip 865: Getting Defensive - No annotations yet

Strip 866: Complex Math - No annotations yet

Strip 867: The First Title Also Still Applies - No annotations yet

Strip 868: Unleash the Fury - No annotations yet

Strip 869: Lesson Fail - No annotations yet

Strip 870: Death in the Family - No annotations yet

Strip 871: Just a Couple of Blooddrinkers - No annotations yet

Strip 872: Concession Stand - No annotations yet

Strip 873: Spell Check - No annotations yet

Strip 874: Allies Like This - No annotations yet

Strip 875: Calm, Orderly, and Efficient - No annotations yet

Strip 876: Ensnared - No annotations yet

Strip 877: The Bright Side
This Strip is titled the same as Strip 333 – The Bright Side. The significance is startling, because in the 9th panel of Strip 333, Durkon says he feared he'd be eaten by some monster, and in this Strip (877), Malack has been named a monster by Durkon, and then was eaten by him.
From panel 1 to the last panel, we see Durkon's skin gets paler as Malack drains his blood.

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Strip 878: Little Brother - No annotations yet

Strip 879: Running on Empty
In panel 1, we see that Durkon has lost his accent since becoming Malack's Thrall in Strip 878.

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Strip 880: Getting the Message - No annotations yet

Strip 881: Temporary Weakness
In panel 2, Elan is shedding a tear from Durkon’s death.

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Strip 882: It's a Boy! - No annotations yet

Strip 883: Fiend Swap - No annotations yet

Strip 884: Credits and Deductions - No annotations yet

Strip 885: Silence is Golden (Or At Least Electrum) - No annotations yet

Strip 886: Victory Comes From Within
In the pages of this strip, we see multiple tells that the events depicted are an illusion:
Page 1:
In Panel 1, Redcloak's eye patch is on the wrong eye because none of the Order have seen him with the eye patch on before.
Panel 8, Blackwing does not appear with V and none of the damage V suffered is depicted because Roy doesn't know about it but the audience does.
Page 2:
In Panel 1, Redcloak doesn't Disintegrate the Forcecage because Roy doesn't know that Redcloak has the Destruction domain (and a general fondness for the Disintegrate spell).
In Panel 8, Xykon says Roy's name, another indication that it's an illusion since Xykon can never remember his name.

Strip 887: Happy Ending
In the pages of this strip, we see multiple tells that the events depicted are an illusion:
In Panel 1, Redcloak's holy symbol appears to be the phylactery rather than the backup holy symbol he's been using ever since losing the phylactery.
In Panel 2, Durkon is alive and well, something the party had hoped Belkar was wrong about.
In Panel 5, Tsukiko and the Azure City Resistance are all alive, as the Order wouldn't know they were dead.

Strip 888: Dream Wedding
In the last panel, we see in the audience(from left to right), Banjo's Illusionary Girlfriend, Banjo, Sir Francios, Inkyrius, Vaarsuvius, Durkon, Thog, Zz'dtri, a kobold, Leeky Windstaff, and an Empire of Blood Guard.

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Strip 889: Get Real - No annotations yet

Strip 890: Dream Free
In panel 8, we see that Girards Illusion Runes stop glowing as soon as Belkar is freed from the illusion.
In panel 11, we see behind Shojo a poster displaying a part of the Northern Gods circle.

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Strip 891: This One's Not Even Realistic - No annotations yet

Strip 892: Walled In - No annotations yet

Strip 893: Closing In - No annotations yet

Strip 894: The Last Room
In Panel 7, the words written on the wall reference a common trope that originated with Super Mario Bros - "Sorry, Your Princess is in Another Castle".

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Strip 895: Plain Sight - No annotations yet

Strip 896: Two Paths - No annotations yet

Strip 897: Headed Downtown - No annotations yet

Strip 898: Let's Get Ready to Rumble - No annotations yet

Strip 899: Prophecy Fulfilled - No annotations yet

Strip 900: Hole in the Middle
In the last panel, the demon roaches get out of a tiny refridgerator, with one wearing a hat and whip, referencing the film, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", where Indiana Jones survives a nuclear blast by taking refuge in a refrigerator.
Spoiler: Original Post
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Quote:

Originally Posted by Reddish Mage

Just what I wished for. You sir, are either a noble djinni, an efreet, or a high-level spellcaster!

:smallbiggrin: You're welcome, but I'm none of these! I'm just your humble, cuddly Wombat of Doom. Feel free to help out round these parts, there's quite a bit to do!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Angel Bob

You were pretty good about using "his/her" as Vaarsuvius' pronouns, but ya done goofed on 338. :smalltongue:

Doh! Fixed. :smallsigh: I knew that would happen at some point...
2013-10-03, 10:55 PM
Blisstake

Re: The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheWombatOfDoom

[

Spoiler: Updates 701-800
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701 – In panel 6, we see that when Redcloak looks in the mirror, he is nearly identical to his brother, Right-Eye, who had an eye patch over his right eye in Start of Darkness. In panel 10, we see the Goblin 4 in from the bottom right most corner Goblin (when following the diagonal of the row) is a more yellow-green than the other Goblins depicted, suggesting a Goblin/Hobgoblin half breed. There are also several blue cloaked hobgoblins in the crowd.

Nitpicking, but that's in panel 11, not 10.

OotS counterpart	Dungeon of Dorukan	Cliffport/Azure City	Empire of Blood	Girard's Pyramid
Elan	Nale	Nale	Nale	Nale
Haley Starshine	Sabine	Sabine	Sabine	Sabine
Roy Greenhilt	Thog	Thog	Thog	Tarquin
Belkar Bitterleaf	Yikyik	Yokyok	Yukyuk	Kilkil
Mr Scruffy	N/a	N/a	Sir Scraggly	N/a
Vaarsuvius	Zz'dtri	Pompey	Zz'dtri	Zz'dtri
Blackwing	N/a	N/a	Qarr	Qarr
Durkon Thundershield	Hilgya Firehelm	Leeky Windstaff	N/a	Malack

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