OOTS #859 - The Discussion Thread

[Tundar]

That was very sneaky, especially for a dwarf.

And clever too!!

[rewinn]

Getting knocked around like that, will Kilkil lose his glasses?

(Those of us who are nearsighted will appreciate how important this it!)

[Mike Havran]

Really nice follow-up on the Order's part. To me, it looks like this now:

Malack and Qarr - probably not in the area of spell, therefore unaffected, but cut off from the battlefield.

Tarquin - most likely unaffected.

Kilkil - either paralyzed, or unaffected. I hope for the latter.

Nale and Z - probably deafened.

Sabine - maybe banished.

My opinion on what will happen next: Tarquin realises stuff has gone serious and starts fighting for real. He kills Durkon.

[Agi Hammerthief]

so now they are standing in Holy Smoke?

[Jivundus]

so now they are standing in Holy Smoke?

-groans inwardly-

[thumbprince]

Malak's reaction is straight out of Watchmen issue 1.

[KinnetDynamon]

Bag of tricks time? Since they used a smokestick, after all. Maybe for purposes of flanking?

Edit: Even though Qarr did not hear the Holy Word, he still might get banished, if I read the spell correctly. He only has to be within 40 ft, assuming the door doesn't somehow block the spell effect.

[Dr.Epic]

He probably just cast the spell on the same round as he popped out of the wall, since it just takes a standard action. Even if they could hear the armor, they don't get to interrupt his round of actions till after he's finished.

I know they wouldn't have time to react, but still, they don't appear to hear him. Also, that image of Durkon in the last panel should be a meme. Just him blasting away whatever or whoever.

[Kish]

Getting knocked around like that, will Kilkil lose his glasses?

(Those of us who are nearsighted will appreciate how important this it!)

Unless Kilkil is about to reveal that he's actually a level higher than Durkon or secretly Good, it's not going to matter because he's now blind or possibly--Tarquin's secretary could easily be a sixth-level expert--dead.

[RMS Oceanic]

It's fun that it's the loud clanky Dwarf who gets the opening (harmful) shot in the ambush.

[Hypothetical]

How much noise does armor make when it's traveling THROUGH a wall?

Don't forget, they've been to several towns since the "Clanking Dwarf" strip. would have been silly not to have purchased at least one Cat's Grace potion after that mess.

[Gashad]

Kilkil - either paralyzed, or unaffected. I hope for the latter.
.

Notice how Kilkils arms are in the same position as he is pushed back by the spell-for me this strongly suggests paralysis.

[Xelbiuj]

In their 3'd images;

Nale looks blinded.
Sabine looks malformed - probably being banished.
Tarquin is grabbing his head - deaf.
Z has his eye's closed, blinded too.
Can't tell with the admin, being knocked upside down certainly can't be good.

Excellent title, "Smoked".
As in smoke in the area and utterly beaten.

10/10

[orrion]

Really nice follow-up on the Order's part. To me, it looks like this now:

Malack and Qarr - probably not in the area of spell, therefore unaffected, but cut off from the battlefield.

Tarquin - most likely unaffected.

Kilkil - either paralyzed, or unaffected. I hope for the latter.

Nale and Z - probably deafened.

Sabine - maybe banished.

My opinion on what will happen next: Tarquin realises stuff has gone serious and starts fighting for real. He kills Durkon.

Tarquin looks affected to me. Maybe only deafened, given that his hand looks to be around his ear area.

Kilkil is definitely affected. He went flying. That little bit of him visible in the second echo looks as if he's paralyzed.

Everyone else looks to be deafened and blinded.

Kilkil is definitely affected. The guy went flying.

[Winter]

Could Sabine have the Native subtype since she and Nale are so attached?

No. She's over 2000 years old and knows Nale for barely... true? Also her actual feeling for him is still somewhat muddy; she also has strong ties into her homeplane.
So if what you propose is even possible, I strongly doubt we see it here.

And while we're at it, how about Celia?

Same. She's native from another plane. She hang around a bit on the prime material plane and has a boytoy on it but I strongly doubt that can unmake what you are.

And as I said, I'm rather convinced that the change to "native" outsider for an "outside" outsider is actually impossible (and if it is possible here and there, it must be a central element of the main plot).

[Mike Havran]

Unless Kilkil is about to reveal that he's actually a level higher than Durkon or secretly Good, it's not going to matter because he's now blind or possibly--Tarquin's secretary could easily be a sixth-level expert--dead.

He doesn't have X in the eyes in the "third" display, when effects are already in place. Paralysis is likely.

[Psyren]

Even so, he would still make noise. Yeah, he didn't have to walk all that way so they wouldn't have as long to hear him, but still - armor's loud and how don't you hear the armor? Remember this strip? Those goblins heard him all the way away.

Again - why do you think he walked anywhere? The Order was ahead of the LG; he could have been standing in that part of the wall the whole time, waiting for the baddies to cluster around him.

Note also that Haley knew exactly when to fire her smoke arrow - i.e. when they were next to D's hiding spot.

[Adeptus]

NICE! <3

[Winter]

He doesn't have X in eyes in the "third" display, when effects are already in place. Paralysis is likely.

It seems this comic does not show the effects of the spell but only the casting (therefore "Tarquin seems affected"). No one seems to have any visual change (like black eyes or whatever). Given how Tarquin performed in the fight I find it highly unlikely he is level 16 or lower, so as it stands now, at least I am convinced that nothing we saw reflects what the spell actually did to any given person.
We'll have to wait another few days to see the results.

[Faramir]

Here's the link as a public service:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/holyWord.htm

Dang, but it's good to see the Order with a decent plan. And it looks like Tarquin is no higher level than Durkon -- I'm surprised.

A lot of comic potential for the deafening effect.

I'm betting on Tarquin being unaffected.

[Smolder]

In OotSland, it appears the word in Holy Word is actually "Holy."

Yes, the holy world is actually "holy" but you have to say it in the holy font.

[willpell]

I love how laconically Malack reacts to the wall sliding into place; gloriously exemplifies "longtime veteran", "worshipper of inevitability", and "reptile" all at the same time.

And of course Tarquin rubbing salt in Nale's wounds in panel 5 and "Shut up, shut up, I'm thinking!" as a response is pure perfection. (In retrospect, Nale probably gets his Wiley Coyote brand of villainy from an attempt to impress his brilliantly meglomaniacal father, only to fail utterly because he doesn't comprehend that it isn't just Thog who's elegant in simplicity.)

[Zubrowka74]

At last Durkon gets to act like a real Tier 1 class.

So awesome!

[Faramir]

Again - why do you think he walked anywhere? The Order was ahead of the LG; he could have been standing in that part of the wall the whole time, waiting for the baddies to cluster around him.

Note also that Haley knew exactly when to fire her smoke arrow - i.e. when they were next to D's hiding spot.

Exactly. It seemed pretty obvious they were setting an ambush. I'm guessing they also took advantage of the trap positioning when deciding where to set it.

[FAD!]

Great design, that trap that hit Nale!

How did Durkon get there? Spell? Scroll?

[Mike Havran]

Tarquin looks affected to me. Maybe only deafened, given that his hand looks to be around his ear area.

Kilkil is definitely affected. He went flying. That little bit of him visible in the second echo looks as if he's paralyzed.

Everyone else looks to be deafened and blinded.

Kilkil is definitely affected. The guy went flying.

Tarquin's stance did not change at all during the progression of the spell. I think his posture is a reflex obtained from experience, but the Word did not affect him.

If Nale and Z were also blinded, they would have used their hands to cover their eyes in the first place. The fact they both went for their ears suggests they are only deafened.

[Barabbas]

I appreciate the ambiguity permitted by this turn of events; Durkon and Malack get along well, and when Sabine's pointed tail set off the door-closing trap, it is unclear whether or not the Order of the Stick deliberately spared him. This potentially gives the Order a chance to talk to Malack on friendly terms. Further, it allows his little red familiar some likely-plot-central screen time.

As an aside, were I an imp, at this time I would be readying my criticisms of dearest Suvie to turn his friends against the elf. Nothing is more satisfying than presenting an awful truth with vile cackling that the good guys have to believe.

[Gnoman]

Nale in particular is in trouble. That trap hurt him, possible a good deal. It's going to be hard for him to heal now, with spells unreliable, and he'll be fighting at a significant tactical advantage against the rest of the order. This may be the end for him.

[elros]

another great strip. My favorite is how Malack and Qaar are protected behind the steel door. If you check the previous strip, you can even see the door was included in it, too!
I also like how Tarquin will allow Nale to screw up, just to make a point. Classic.
It will be interesting to see how each member of the linear guild compares to Durkon's level.

[Xelbiuj]

All of the 1 word spells are like that, just like SHOUT!