OOTS #387 - The Discussion Thread

[B9anders]

The script has been rushed to the point where artistic license has been abused. In a town where divination magic is not accepted in court because it can be faked with illusions, the guards seem untrained to handle them. Now, an insufficiently funded town guard that can't afford a strong jail, let alone anti-magic fields, is reasonable to assume. Similarly, poorly paid guards that don't care enough about their jobs to bind the hands of a suspect spellcaster is plausible. Guards that believe that decorations require jail doors to be ripped apart and mangled? Um, no. That it costs 2000 GP? They're not going to believe anybody pays that much at all, especially for an badly underfunded department. They're not going to believe anyone bothers redecorating a prison in the first place. They'd be surprised if it got cleaned on a regular basis.

Elan could easily handle the guards with other magic, such as Invisibility Sphere, Sleep, Darkness, Charm Person or Modify Memory, without a moronic story. Indeed, the last two could easily create comic dialogue.

Overall, a good episode except for the unbelievably moronic guards. A shame as, with high level bardic magic, the standard, dumb guard could still make good but plausible comedy.

Life must be incredibly dull with that level of pedantry.

[teratorn]

Flow my tears the bardman said. Elan was always sort of a cry baby, but I can't help feeling that the GIANT is trying to make the change even more striking. We are watching the birth of a new Elan. Trully memorable times to us OOTSers. And as a bonus we got the Thog lover line. That alone cracked me up. Worth the waiting.

Life must be incredibly dull with that level of pedantry.

Hey, I liked warmachine's comment. Made me think of . This is one of the reasons I read the hundred messages people post in here. It's fun to watch the reactions, complaints and nit-picking. That one was amazing. V wouldn't do better.

[Aurumvorax]

Awww man, Elan is getting all romantic super-hero, he cries, and then he gathers himself, and then he smashes the window to save his Haley-in-distress *drooling* Our little Elan is all grown up...
I enjoyed this strip Soooo much, I just don't want to quote them, they're too hilarious altogether and I don't to offend any of these marvalous quotes!!!

...
What exactly was the Baldur's Gate reference? I barely remember the game, I think Minsc was strong, stupid and carrying an animal on his shoulder (a squirrel, was it?)... So where's the pun??

No, Tura, it was a hamster and his name was Boo I assume, the reference is just the fact that in the very beginning of BG2 you needed to make Minsc mad, to make him rage and bend the bars of his cell "Ah, the bars! They bend and twist with my berserker strenght! Minsc and Boo are free!! ..." (c) Minsc

[Ronald_saveloy]

Bravo Rich, you made my day! One of the best strips ever. Anyway, I've got a question. At the end of the strip, says:

"Hilarity ensues when two adventurers from different ends of the alignment spectrum must work together in the feel-good comedy of the year."

I know, that this is the tag line frome a movie, but I don't remember, which movie it is. Can you help my?

I love interpretation of Spice Girl's Wannabe.

[Nerd_Paladin]

Well, sorry, but color me dissapointed. So Elan escaped from jail via a sequence of DC 30 Bluff checks? Lame. The last panel was a good laugh though. Thog is so consistently funny that he should qualify as a minor artifact.

[Silferdrake]

That was awsome, now I'm just waiting for:

don't make thog angry... you wouldn't like thog when thog is angry...

Yay for the incredible Thog!

[Jazzvader]

The frightening thing, is that Elan is the most sane and wise person in these strips

you got a point there

[Noneoyabizzness]

ahh thogtastic

and nice to show elan using some cunning dang it. he's a bard.

[unstattedCommoner]

Quite possibly the best strip to date.

"Hilarity ensues when two adventurers from different ends of the alignment spectrum must work together in the feel-good comedy of the year."

I know, that this is the tag line frome a movie, but I don't remember, which movie it is. Can you help my?

That could be any feel-good comedy of the year.

I love interpretation of Spice Girl's Wannabe.

thog's magic song-playing device have many songs:
oops! thog do it again, thog play with your heart ...

[Calamity]

Any comic with Thog and Elan co-operating is bound to be awesome, and this was awesome!

and hilgya: "Go team Cleric!"
and : "Go team Fool!"

"if you wannabe thog's lover, you gotta get with thog's freinds..."

[Kriel]

That was comedy gold, Rich! That, and that was extremely clever on Elan's part. I'm guessing he rolled a natural 20 on his Bluff check. That, or Thog's abysmal Intelligence and Wisdom gave him an unbelievably huge penalty to his save. Oh well. I can't wait to see how this turns out. By the way... how did Thog's pants turn purple?

[The Hammer of Thor]

Love it. Not much on the internet makes me laugh, but this did.

[Grod_The_Giant]

rofl. great comic.

[Antina]

Well - ok - nice to know how they escaped.
Not a bad strip, but I hoped for more information about Haley or Xykon... .

Sometimes the predictions of what we´re going to get as "next strip" are better than what actually happens.

The Giant once said that he is doing exactly that on purpose because he hates us to have better ideas than him - or the same ideas at the same time as he has them.
I don´t think it´s worth changing every(good)thing just to get "the surprise"...

[oogabooga]

Sometimes the predictions of what we´re going to get as "next strip" are better than what actually happens.

The Giant once said that he is doing exactly that on purpose because he hates us to have better ideas than him - or the same ideas at the same time as he has them.
I don´t think it´s worth changing every(good)thing just to get "the surprise"...

No, he didn't say that. A lot of people seem to think that, but all he said was that he was TEMPTED to change things, which is why he doesn't read predictions. He's never actually changed anything just because someone guessed right.

[Amon Star]

No need to apologize for being late Mr Giant, not when you give us triple OotSy goodness!

Ok, at what point did Elan become halfway intelligent?

When he realised was in danger.

You'd think they would have put Elan in an anti-magic cell, since Nale is a known spell-user and that qualified him for gagging at the scene of the crime.

Damn those budget cuts!

Anyway I'm beginning to wonder how Elan expect to save Haley, she is unarmed and Thog is obviously still loyal to Nale. If he get angry, he can easely take care of Elan even if he dont have a weapon. Its a 3vs2 and except if the rest of the order come in the room, Elan and Haley wont stand a chance.

probably hasn't thought that far ahead. He thinks doing the cinematic thing is enough to save the day.

Elan always had good moments when it came to Bard Stuff, understanding plot or story or how adventures have to work. Look at origins of the PCs: Without Elan's knowledge, Roy would never have recruited the Order of the Stick. As a Human Bard, he's getting a few skill points every level, and his base CHA is 18; no surprise that he can pull off a good Bluff now and then. Good for Elan. :)

Ahh, but if knew who he turned down to get the OotS, would he still be grateful?

Spoiler

Show

Thog thinks that he's on an adventure with not-Nale to save Haley and Nale. From whom? Have we seen somebody on the scene of their arrival who is likely to show hostility to Haley and Nale...?

Good point.

[PirateMonk]

*

Standin' tall
On the wings of my dream!

Rise and fall
On the wings of my dream!

"Delusions: There is no greater joy than soaring high on the wings of your dreams, except maybe the joy of watching a dreamer who has nowhere to land but in the ocean of reality."
-Despair Inc.

I just had to say that.

I've spent the past 40 minutes reading through every post, after coming home from a party last night and deciding I was too tired to fully appreciate the new OOTS.

My prediction:

2-3 more strips explaining the escape, travel to AC, and costumes (or at least 's), leaving 5-8 to wrap up the Linear Guild business, after which Miko arrives, shortly followed by Xykon & Co. for the Big 400.
If the leprechaun costume isn't explained, maybe:

: and... the leprechaun costume?
:well, it's a strange story, really, it-
:Thog smash little green man and-
:okay, i don't need to know this.




Great strip.

Edit-This has probably been said a few thousand times before, but we need an Irish Thog smiley.
Edit-I know this has been said a few thousand times, the 'zany whirlwind adventure' is the perfect place for bonus strips. Also, it might be fun to have one strip online where each panel shows them in an utterly absurd situation.

[mikeejimbo]

Man, I love Elan.

"It's like I need an entirely different set of class skills!"

[teratorn]

Hmmm...

Spoiler

Show

Thog thinks that he's on an adventure with not-Nale to save Haley and Nale. From whom? Have we seen somebody on the scene of their arrival who is likely to show hostility to Haley and Nale...?

Well, let's see:

Oh No! Nale got lost in witch's forest!

Poor poor Nale, a badbad witch...

[Earthstar_Fungus]

Ha, ha, ha! That was one of the few things on the internet to send me sniggering when I was supposed to be sleeping.

[Azzurus]

why did thog's pants turn purple?

Best line ever!

[TigerHunter]

Well, now we know Thog's alignment--if he's the opposite of Elan, who we know to be Chaotic good, then Thog is Lawful Evil.

[Grey Watcher]

Well, now we know Thog's alignment--if he's the opposite of Elan, who we know to be Chaotic good, then Thog is Lawful Evil.

No, Thog's a barbarian and therefore can't be Lawful (and still use his Rage at any rate). I think Elan's just referring to the fact that ones Good the other's Evil. I always thought Thog was Chaotic (being the Lawful Good Roy's Evil Opposite).

[the_tick_rules]

i noticed some people ask why, with elan probably having invisibility at his level, didn't he use it to escape. most has already been said but i didn't notice anyone say invisible people are still corporeal. they'd ask thog where he went and thog tells them. plus, the way the strip did it is funnier, which in a comic strip justifies everything.

i also failed to mention the frequent mentions of the ineptitude of npc guards, how very true to most D&D games, they couldn't hold a rock if you glued it to their hands.

[jaded_empath]

O_o

Wow.

That was huge (both in development of Elan's character beyond just comic relief, AND in sheer number of panels)

Rich? You ROCK.

"...renovations. We're having a team of interior decorators come in and redecorate the prison in two days for 2000gp"

I used to watch Trading Spaces ^_^

-"prison changed Thog."
-"We were only in there for 40 minutes."
-"prison changed thog quickly."

That is a surprisingly quick-witted rebuttle. :D

Again, Rich - YOU DA MAN, and thank you.

[fractal]

Well, now we know Thog's alignment--if he's the opposite of Elan, who we know to be Chaotic good, then Thog is Lawful Evil.

No, Thog is merely from a different end of the alignment spectrum. Since Elan is Chaotic Good, that leaves 3 other "ends" to choose from. Chaotic Evil is a pretty safe bet.

[Jarelk]

Though I secretly hoped for the battle, I love it!
Just love it. Nice extra by adding a lantern instead of a lamp.

[neriana]

Thog is the opposite of Roy, not of Elan. Nale is the opposite of Elan.

[Warrax]

This isn't fair...

I'm DYING with laughter every time I read the newest OOTS... first, the leprechaun costume; now, the Vaporizing Flu and "prison changed thog quickly."

Soooo funny...

[zegma]

I Loved the Becomeing Hulk part. lol

"why are thog pants purple"

lol