OOTS #1088 - The Discussion Thread

The internal tension suggests they're ALL free-willed. Not sure that was the best approach for Greg to take. It gives them agency to act on their own, sure, but it also can cause friction like this.

Okay, I gotta ask:

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Originally Posted by Doug Lampert

the OoLORtVnRD?

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Originally Posted by Lord Torath

Okay, I gotta ask:

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Order of the Look Out Roy tha Vampire's na Really Durkon.

Love the view of Durkon's family. A lot of really interesting people and it fleshes out Durkon to be something more than a grumpy healbot, a "support beam", in the HPOH's words.

Durkon is playing the same game he did with Miko back in Azure City -- while he will not lie he is a master of telling less than the full truth. In a way, his lawful upbringing is good practice for him. He can't lie to the vampire, but that's okay because he hasn't been able to lie his whole life. He's a master at misleading through omitted information, I think.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

:smallamused: :smallbiggrin:

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Originally Posted by Cazero

More probably his mother than his wife.

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Very likely.Logann was likely the one playing Smite Tha Tree with Durkon back when he was a child.

Looks like Thirden really was slacking off on the job with that mythology training :smallbiggrin:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0052.html

So, to me, either the hall has been re-purposed for something else, has been warded, or also require a special key to open.

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Originally Posted by johnbragg

Durkon doesn't have Knowledge: Religion maxxed

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Why would he not have it maxxed? He's a very devoted Cleric who takes his church's teachings and myths very seriously.

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Originally Posted by Unoriginal

Why would he not have it maxxed? He's a very devoted Cleric who takes his church's teachings and myths very seriously.

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There have been one or two points in the comics where Durkon's Knowledge: Religion checks have come up short. Also, clerics get like two skill points per level. It's hard to keep anything maxed with that trickle.

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Originally Posted by Unoriginal

So, to me, either the hall has been re-purposed for something else, has been warded, or also require a special key to open.

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Or it is just not the closest meeting hall to the Firmament Church, and all Durkon is doing is testing the limits of his ability to select which memories he shows, and using it to lull Greg into a false sense of security.

GW

When did Kandro switch to a blue cloak?

Some people call Roy the space cowboy... :smallamused:

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Originally Posted by johnbragg

Well, Greg's only been a vampire (or a sentient being of any kind) for maybe two weeks. Durkon doesn't have Knowledge: Religion maxxed, but he may well have more ranks than Greg.

And I can't wait to see what that "banquet hall" is like now. (Solarium, anyone?)

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Actually, the Vampire would have a higher Knowledge: Religion bonus then Durkon. He has the same ranks Durkon has and a +2 to Intelligence.

I wonder of that was an IT crowd reference

Durkon just keeps making me chuckle..something he hasn't done in a long time.

I loved the little touches making all the dwarves seem older than they had in previous scenes. I hope we see more of Durkon's memories; they've been some of my favorite sequences of this book.

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Originally Posted by PH7

Some people call Roy the space cowboy... :smallamused:

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And yet, Elan is the one most likely to play his music in the sun.

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Originally Posted by Chei

There have been one or two points in the comics where Durkon's Knowledge: Religion checks have come up short. Also, clerics get like two skill points per level. It's hard to keep anything maxed with that trickle.

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Nonsense, two skill points per level is plenty to max out both Spellcraft and Concentration. Two skills substantially more important to most clerics in actual play than Knowledge: Religion.

Of course that leaves the Knowledge: Religion skill getting by on general knowledge checks.... But you can't have everything.

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Originally Posted by Quebbster

Very likely.Logann was likely the one playing Smite Tha Tree with Durkon back when he was a child.

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Yep. And that's the same mother. Good catch. (We are learning a lot about young darken and his family. These details add many layers of Rich's to the character's backstory.) See what I did there?

I retract the "wife" comment. As a disappointed mother frown it's perhaps even funnier.

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Originally Posted by Doug Lampert

Nonsense, two skill points per level is plenty to max out both Spellcraft and Concentration. Two skills substantially more important to most clerics in actual play than Knowledge: Religion.

Of course that leaves the Knowledge: Religion skill getting by on general knowledge checks.... But you can't have everything.

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To be fair, a high Intelligence score can grant you a little extra skill points.

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Originally Posted by Doug Lampert

Nonsense, two skill points per level is plenty to max out both Spellcraft and Concentration. Two skills substantially more important to most clerics in actual play than Knowledge: Religion.

Of course that leaves the Knowledge: Religion skill getting by on general knowledge checks.... But you can't have everything.

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You're right until level 21, when clerics need maxed Knowledge: Religion if they want to play with epic spells. Then it becomes quite a bit more important than it was. I forget which spellcasting class had the hardest time, mechanically, getting epic spells online, but it was almost certainly either clerics or sorcerers.

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Originally Posted by Hiro Quester

Yep. And that's the same mother. Good catch. (We are learning a lot about young darken and his family. These details add many layers of Rich's to the character's backstory.) See what I did there?

I retract the "wife" comment. As a disappointed mother frown it's perhaps even funnier.

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Extra point: that baby is almost certainly the little girl from this comic and the preceding ones.

Wow, I didn't know Durkon could snark that well.

Also, who is doing all these updates and what have they done with the real The Giant? XD

Man, OotLORtVnRD is my favorite webcomic!

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Originally Posted by Ruck

And yet, Elan is the one most likely to play his music in the sun.

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Clearly Haley is the Gangster of Love.

The entire OotS is revealed as the Steve Miller band brought into a D&D world, which may in fact mean the Monster in the Darkness is actually the beast from Hotel California. Belkar stabbed it with his steely knives but couldn't scratch it ...

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Originally Posted by Chei

You're right until level 21, when clerics need maxed Knowledge: Religion if they want to play with epic spells. Then it becomes quite a bit more important than it was. I forget which spellcasting class had the hardest time, mechanically, getting epic spells online, but it was almost certainly either clerics or sorcerers.

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Well, clerics are mechanically incentivized to dump intelligence, since they're wisdom dependent, need decent charisma and constitution and good strength or dexterity. If they get a low roll, intelligence is the best place for them to put it.

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Originally Posted by Hiro Quester

Yep. And that's the same mother. Good catch. (We are learning a lot about young darken and his family. These details add many layers of Rich's to the character's backstory.)

I retract the "wife" comment. As a disappointed mother frown it's perhaps even funnier.

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And my guess is that the little girl with the same skin color hovering around said family is the baby we first see in the same strip as Logann.

Edit: A seven-generation curse upon ninjas!

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Originally Posted by woweedd

To be fair, a high Intelligence score can grant you a little extra skill points.

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But we know that Durkon doesn't have a high Intelligence score, since the mind flayer considered him to be a big bland bowl of Wisdom and nothing else.

In his case, it would make sense if he moved a few of his Concentration ranks into Knowledge: Religion on the assumption that being a dwarf could handle it, but never got a high rank.

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Originally Posted by Avianmosquito

Well, clerics are mechanically incentivized to dump intelligence, since they're wisdom dependent, need decent charisma and constitution and good strength or dexterity. If they get a low roll, intelligence is the best place for them to put it.

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Yeah, it's either sorcerers or clerics, probably clerics in most cases.

Wizards cheat by having Int as both their spellcasting ability and their skill point generator.
Druids get 4 skill points per level, so maxing three skills is effortless.
Clerics and sorcerers each get 2 points per level and a spellcasting ability other than Int.

I believe that, as you said, clerics are more incentivized than sorcerers to dump Int.

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Originally Posted by Chei

I believe that, as you said, clerics are more incentivized than sorcerers to dump Int.

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Yeah. Sorcerers only have one class-related ability score instead of two, and aren't built for melee like clerics are. They can easily dump strength, dex, wisdom or all three and keep their intelligence.