OOTS #1069 - The Discussion Thread

[J-H]

That looks like dazed to me.

[Rogar Demonblud]

He dropped the weapon. It is definitionally Stunned.

[nocoolnamejim]

I'm going to go with "Drunk guy sees hot chick in a bar with (insanely) big boobs" as the explanation for the circling stars around Roy, final answer, Regis if for no other reason than the pages upon pages of VERY DEFINITELY SERIOUS POSTS on the sexism matter could use some lightening up.

[Emperor Time]

11 tries isn't so bad, considering everything that been happening during those 11 attempts.

[Jay R]

I envy Elan his command of the technical jargon.

[dtilque]

Even at level 12, he'd get at least 4 more spells than you give him due to his 18+ Charisma.

Class and level geekery has him pegged at level 14 bard with 22 charisma (after items), this gives him 4 cantrips, 5 level 1, 5 level 2, 4 level 3, 4 level 4, and 2 level 5. In which case he's barely scratched his level 2 spells.

(Mind you, I think Geekery is off, they give him level 14 and 22 Charisma both so he can cast level 5 spells, and level 13 + 22 charisma is enough, which would cost him a level 4 and 5 slot; and he'd still have some level 2, and all his higher level slots available.)

Warning: geekery ahead (and I don't even play the game).

There's another reason to give him level 14 Bard. Back when the order got back together after the big split, he cast Mass Cure Light Wounds for the first time. At that time, he discusses the two new 5th level spells he took (one was MCLW) for level 13, and then says at some future time he's going to swap one of his 4th level spells for Cure Critical Wounds. Bards have that ability to swap spells, but only every 3rd level. And one of those levels they can do it at is level 14. Some time later, when they're on the Mechane, he casts Cure Critical Wounds on Felix. Thus he gained level 14 between those two strips.

[Windscion]

Okay, on a completely different line of thought. I had wondered before, but now I am willing to say this publicly: Elan and Roy talk the giantess down rather than defeat her in combat. Why? Her comment about "I will live." I suspect that Thrym has told his giants that they will die if the order makes it through the mountains. Or maybe just threatened to kill them if it happens. Elan may well convince her of the actual situation, and Roy can point out that the Order & The Mechane don't look down upon females the way her tribe obviously does.

[danielxcutter]

If Roy was Stunned, he'd have birds flying around his head.

[Mandor]

Okay, on a completely different line of thought. I had wondered before, but now I am willing to say this publicly: Elan and Roy talk the giantess down rather than defeat her in combat. Why? Her comment about "I will live." I suspect that Thrym has told his giants that they will die if the order makes it through the mountains. Or maybe just threatened to kill them if it happens. Elan may well convince her of the actual situation, and Roy can point out that the Order & The Mechane don't look down upon females the way her tribe obviously does.

This is plausible. However, a simpler explanation for "You will die and I will live" could simply be that they were locked into melee combat, and Roy HAD just killed the other giant fighting with them. She may be speaking of a much more short-term "I will live" as opposed to "and I will live happily ever after breaking glass cielings whereever I go".

[Kish]

"I will live" would be a weird thing for someone who knows perfectly well that her maximum life expectancy is two days to say.

I don't think she, or most (if, indeed, any) of the frost giants know that they're actively trying to end the world right now, but I'm less confident than Windscion that Roy can convince his current opponent of that fact, or will even think of trying.

[Keltest]

"I will live" would be a weird thing for someone who knows perfectly well that her maximum life expectancy is two days to say.

I don't think she, or most (if, indeed, any) of the frost giants know that they're actively trying to end the world right now, but I'm less confident than Windscion that Roy can convince his current opponent of that fact, or will even think of trying.

I could be mistaken, but isn't that exactly what he was doing when he said she would live for like two days tops if she won? It has certainly occurred to him that she wouldn't be fighting if she knew what the result would be.

[SaintRidley]

That's a lot of spell slots down for the balloon. Is mending a cantrip in 3.5? That would make the situation a little LESS bad.

...Though how big of a CHA modifier would you need for at least 11 cantrip slots?

Cantrips in 3.5 take spell slots, and there's no bonus cantrip slots for a high spellcasting ability.

So yeah, he just ate a bunch of low level slots.

[ti'esar]

For Celestia's sake, Roy, you're fighting one giant.

[BriarHobbit]

That giant is really tough. She has been repeatedly stunning Roy. Time for some bardic magic and maybe a magical rapier to save the day.

[Sword-Geass]

Hooray! New comic!

Thanks, El Giganto!

Q

Minor nitpick, it's Gigante, not Giganto. Since correct use of the (english) languaje is normally expected why not make that inclusive to spanish?

[Snails]

I take back everything bad ive said about this arc. It was worth it for that face.

While I dislike Roy losing his sword so easily in the earlier strip, my guess was that the Giant wanted to move the action from Andi, very quickly update us about Roy, and then ...??? <insert something important here>

To give Elan space to shine here would be a sound reason to shrink Roy's fighting scene down. Roy's down. V, Haley, Belkar are probably too far away to help. It is all on Elan.

And once Elan finishes with this immediate problem. Haley will probably show and say "I think you dropped something, Roy. Here."

[Snails]

Do we really expect Thrym or whoever the giant's god is to give complete information to the giants?

"Stop the airship. Kill them all. And you will be rewarded." Why say more?

Individual giants may think that rewards in the afterlife makes for a good deal, but it does not work so well as a story if characters are so blase about death.

If Roy has not yet started down the reasoning it out path, he is unlikely to now. It would be an interesting direction for Elan to grow.

[Chantelune]

So, it's been 11 turns since Elan has been up here. Mmmh, more than I expected.

Does it means we could speculate the health of that Frost Giant who died?

Now you're assuming that he's been concentrating on the task at hand every single time. My bet is it took an average of three turns of daydreaming or other distraction for one attempted cast of the spell.

[Metahuman1]

Okay, on a completely different line of thought. I had wondered before, but now I am willing to say this publicly: Elan and Roy talk the giantess down rather than defeat her in combat. Why? Her comment about "I will live." I suspect that Thrym has told his giants that they will die if the order makes it through the mountains. Or maybe just threatened to kill them if it happens. Elan may well convince her of the actual situation, and Roy can point out that the Order & The Mechane don't look down upon females the way her tribe obviously does.

I would really, really love that and it would be a really, really awesome thing to have happen and I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope that that's exactly what happens!

[danielxcutter]

I would really, really love that and it would be a really, really awesome thing to have happen and I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope that that's exactly what happens!

I don't quite share your enthusiasm, but that would be pretty neat.

[Hypothetical]

I vote for some sort of sword implant for Roy. Or at least one of those swords that can be summoned to his side magically. Heck, maybe that will happen during this fight, and he'll win it by calling the Greenhilt sword to him.

Meanwhile, perhaps Elan can actually, like, help in the fight.

Roy's sword is a weapon of Legend...Returning would not be too much to ask.

But Elan? I don't think the Frost Giants have a high enough Int to get puns, so being a Swashbuckler is probably useless. I suppose he could maybe Bluff Bluff Bluff the stupid Frost Giants...but that hasn't worked out so well in the past.

Could he...no...he wouldn't try to pull a "tonight I made that donkey cry" moment and challenge the leader to a "What's your Chr worth "under the hood"" would he?

[hroþila]

But Elan? I don't think the Frost Giants have a high enough Int to get puns, so being a Swashbuckler is probably useless.

What makes you think that? All the Frost Giants we've seen so far have been able to engage in normal conversation, except for that one guy in the assault team who is dead now anyway.

[danielxcutter]

What makes you think that? All the Frost Giants we've seen so far have been able to engage in normal conversation, except for that one guy in the assault team who is dead now anyway.

^This. Plus, Swashbuckler is a base class, not in core. Elan is a Bard/Dashing Swordsman, if I remember correctly.

[Riftwolf]

.

Could he...no...he wouldn't try to pull a "tonight I made that donkey cry" moment and challenge the leader to a "What's your Chr worth "under the hood"" would he?

I refuse to know what this means.

[Goblin_Priest]

I vote for some sort of sword implant for Roy. Or at least one of those swords that can be summoned to his side magically. Heck, maybe that will happen during this fight, and he'll win it by calling the Greenhilt sword to him.

Meanwhile, perhaps Elan can actually, like, help in the fight.

Well, locking gauntlets are a thing. As are armor spikes.

Can't wait to see Elan solo that giantress. ;) After all, wasn't that why we were writing all these puns not long ago? To give Elan ammunition? :P

[pendell]

"I will live" would be a weird thing for someone who knows perfectly well that her maximum life expectancy is two days to say.

I don't think she, or most (if, indeed, any) of the frost giants know that they're actively trying to end the world right now, but I'm less confident than Windscion that Roy can convince his current opponent of that fact, or will even think of trying.

Listening to the person trying to kill you can be a serious tactical error . I'm guessing it worked in the Haley V. Crystal fight because Crystal never set aside her personal issues to focus on the mission. So far as I can tell, it was always personal with Crystal, so that opened her to a personal appeal from Haley. The Giantess doesn't seem to have that issue.

While I dislike Roy losing his sword so easily in the earlier strip, my guess was that the Giant wanted to move the action from Andi, very quickly update us about Roy, and then ...??? <insert something important here>

Also to add dramatic tension. With his sword Roy is a match for pretty much any monster on the random encounter table. So the Giant had to take away his sword if this was to be anything other than a curbstomp.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[TuringTest]

Who said The Giant no longer makes jokes about the rules in OotS?

[KorvinStarmast]

In panel #9 when Giantess goes all Anna Nordqvist on Roy, I note that she uses neither the interlocking grip nor the overlapping grip, but rather the rarely used baseball grip. Her form, balance, and follow through are LPGA quality. No need to yell "Fore" since she's hitting it (Roy) straight down the middle. (OK, enough golf geekery).

Elan would make a great foil to Girard if that happened.

Lovely pun on the fencing style of sword fighting that Julio taught him.

Alas, Dashing Swordsman only works with rapiers, if my possibly overly literal interpretation of Julio's wording is correct.

Elan only needs one sword ... ask Haley.

I'm going to go with "Drunk guy sees hot chick in a bar with (insanely) big boobs" as the explanation for the circling stars around Roy, final answer,

She's a Frost Giant, so she'd be a cool chick (if chick even be a proper descriptive). Given Roy's size differential to her, her cup size would be a significantly larger one than he's used to, but I Don't Think He's Seeing Her That Way. There is no indication of Roy, while fighting, looking at this giantess and thinking 'Nice rack!' Nope, not seeing it.

If Roy was Stunned, he'd have birds flying around his head.

Miko gave him three red stars of stun in the fight just after she fell.

So yeah, he just ate a bunch of low level slots.

We've only see him try three times. Elan is a bard whose use of language is as often figurative as not. He's also not a fount of accuracy, though now and again his "lack of a filter" raises truths. I doubt he's actually cast 11 spells. Not enough time has elapsed.

Elan is a Bard/Dashing Swordsman, if I remember correctly.

Yes, a prestige class that Rich made for the strip, per one of his comments that the Great Banana doubtless has a link to.

Beyond all that:
Great job by pirate to get a blade to Roy.
Great job to Roy for that first parry.
Hooray, Elan finally got his feces together.
Hooray, a punch line to finish the strip (though it's a fourth wall punch line, I'll take what I can get these days).
And as usual, the new art style continues to please and I'll add my voice to the "nice concentration face for Elan" chorus.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

We've only see him try three times, and Elan is a bard whose use of language is as often figurative as not. I doubt he's actually cast 11 spells. Not enough time has elapsed.

He says he tried 11 times. To me, that clearly says he cast 11 times, and failed his concentration check 11 times. How are you reading it?

GW

[KorvinStarmast]

How are you reading it?
GW

As I stated in my post, Elan is Not A Reliable Witness due to his bardic use of figurative language.

Elan is a bard whose use of language is as often figurative as not. He's also not a fount of accuracy, though now and again his "lack of a filter" raises truths.