OOTS #1070 - The Discussion Thread

[xroads]

Pow! Now that's a way for an update.
(Sure hope it didn't end with Elan cutting a vital rope.)

Hopefully not. But the ship is already flying on a wing & a prayer. So it's not like Elan could of made it a lot worst anyways.

[Arkku]

Ropes! Huh! What else are they good for?

Ropes, huh, yeah
What are they good for?
Heroically swinging
Say it again, why'all

[Hamste]

I didn't really expect Elan to succeed in healing Roy while swinging in a rope with only his feet, when it took 11 Mendings to fix the balloon. Then I realized that, since it would be awesome, Elan's chance of succeeding was quite high, being a Bard/Dashing Swordsman and all.

The hi-three was the icing on the cake.

Yeah, dashing swordsman probably gives bonuses to concentration as long as you are doing something awesome/swinging on a rope. If only Elan had to have an fight in the rigging, would have saved so much time on concentration checks.

[factotum]

Yeah, dashing swordsman probably gives bonuses to concentration as long as you are doing something awesome/swinging on a rope. If only Elan had to have an fight in the rigging, would have saved so much time on concentration checks.

Dashing Swordsman isn't really a magic-focused class as far as we can tell, so I doubt it has anything to do with Elan suddenly getting good at Concentration checks.

[Quibblicious]

=AWESOME!!!

He's a Bard.

They rock.

Q,
Bard.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Dashing Swordsman isn't really a magic-focused class as far as we can tell, so I doubt it has anything to do with Elan suddenly getting good at Concentration checks.

No, but it probably gives a generic untyped CHA-scaled bonus to any skill check done while swinging, to help with the inevitable swing from the chandelier moments.

GW

[WindStruck]

Haha, this strip just reminded me of something.

Will we now get a fight like the classic 1960's Batman series?

POW! BANG! BIFF! KAPOW!

[Thrillhouse]

I hope no one is too attached to this frost giant, because it is essentially impossible for even the slowest wit among us to run out of either ice or giant puns. Elan will be unstoppable.

It's time to put this giant...on ice!

[Tiltowait]

First we saw the "Cleric's Feather Fall", now we're seeing the "Bard's Power Attack"

[Sermil]

Actually, I'm glad Elan didn't go full dashing swordsman. A real dashing swordsman would have fought the giantess himself (and then gotten pounded). Elan is smart(!) enough to realize that healing Roy is the better tactical move.

I really thought he was going to swoop in and fight the giantess for a moment there...

[Shining Wrath]

No, but it probably gives a generic untyped CHA-scaled bonus to any skill check done while swinging, to help with the inevitable swing from the chandelier moments.

GW

I agree. And if "hi-three" is counted as a pun, there's another bonus, also probably untyped. Adding twice Elan's charisma modifier is a pretty serious boost.

[Peelee]

I hope no one is too attached to this frost giant, because it is essentially impossible for even the slowest wit among us to run out of either ice or giant puns. Elan will be unstoppable.

It's time to put this giant...on ice!

Well, I did really enjoy the face she made when getting punched. Man, talk about a sentence I never thought I'd write....

[Shining Wrath]

I hope no one is too attached to this frost giant, because it is essentially impossible for even the slowest wit among us to run out of either ice or giant puns. Elan will be unstoppable.

It's time to put this giant...on ice!

Are you suggesting she's going down like a tall iced tea?

[Shining Wrath]

Ropes, huh, yeah
What are they good for?
Heroically swinging
Say it again, why'all

Ropes I despise
Except when used to save Roy's life


Actually, kindly note the strip title. Only half of them are.

[KorvinStarmast]

Sometimes it is better to be lucky and heroic than smart.

Elan, thanks to Julio's mentoring.

No, but it probably gives a generic untyped CHA-scaled bonus to any skill check done while swinging, to help with the inevitable swing from the chandelier moments.

Heck yeah.

I really thought he was going to swoop in and fight the giantess for a moment there...

As did I, which made the actual sequence that much more enjoyable. (And 'hi three' got a RL chuckle out of me). Elan's high dex, hanging by his feet as he lays his heal spell onto Roy ... goodness!

PS: I rolled a 1 (surprise) at Roy's choice to punch the giantess in the face, but someone up there mentioned the belt of giant strength so I recalibrated that to "aha, makes sense."

Artwork continues to please. As for closing lines
"I just assumed they were only there for heroic swinging" made me grin. As above, it's Julio's ship.

[Seto]

So... dashing of him.

Also, hi-three! That's actually hilarious

[Crusher]

High Three! LOL!

[Ironsmith]

I wouldn't be surprised if that counted as catching the giantess flat-footed... I mean, I don't think she would ever see "little guy that only comes up to my kneecaps punching me in the face" coming.

Come to think of it, as long as Roy has the appropriate feats, that might be among the smartest ways to fight her... given that he's already lost his sword twice in this fight, it seems a waste to keep using it.

[GreatWyrmGold]

He does on the last panel. He had to deal with a charging giantess first.

Roy has his priorities straight. Hit the giant, then grab the thing that lets you hit it good.
...Okay, but it makes sense in this case.

Hi-three, Oddly Effective Elan!

Who's use-impaired now?

[Snails]

I didn't really expect Elan to succeed in healing Roy while swinging in a rope with only his feet, when it took 11 Mendings to fix the balloon. Then I realized that, since it would be awesome, Elan's chance of succeeding was quite high, being a Bard/Dashing Swordsman and all.

At first, I, too, was surprised that Elan took eleven attempts. Isn't he likely to succeed by blind luck well before then, even if he has no ranks in Concentration?

I think the answer is that, for Elan, he actually get negatives for this kind of thing. I think that Elan takes an RPing penalty for some checks into order to potentially earn extra big Dashing bonuses when in the spotlight. (Before he met Julio, he did the same RPing, but did not get any future bonuses out of it.)

[SaintRidley]

It definitely left a mark, which means Roy probably has Improved Unarmed Strike as one of his feats.

[Snails]

I wouldn't be surprised if that counted as catching the giantess flat-footed... I mean, I don't think she would ever see "little guy that only comes up to my kneecaps punching me in the face" coming.

I think the situation gives a free Feint (Bluff) with big Circumstance bonuses, 'cuz giants are predisposed to think that littler creatures are nearly harmless. Now this giantess knows that Roy is potentially dangerous, but thought he was cut down to size when he lost his real sword.

[ref]

Elan does something awesome and immediately shows us he's Elan after all. But yeah. Great page. :)

[warmachine]

This looks like Rule of Cool overriding Logic. It's unlikely Elan could make an INT check to cut the correct rope but a bard swinging down, with rapier in hand, to save a colleague in a high stakes battle, with a hi-three, is cool.

The trouble with D&D 3.5 is its rules describe everything in mechanical terms. A DM might insist on an INT check to cut the correct rope, or a DEX check to hi-three but that's not cool for a high CHA character. Someone needs to create a mechanic so the more charismatic the PC, the more often the player can say "I succeed at the task because it'll look cool!"

[GreatWyrmGold]

Now this giantess knows that Roy is potentially dangerous, but thought he was cut down to size when he lost his real sword.

Pun intended?

[Murk]

Someone needs to create a mechanic so the more charismatic the PC, the more often the player can say "I succeed at the task because it'll look cool!"

That mechanic is called The Dashing Swordsman and Elan is using it!

[Shining Wrath]

This looks like Rule of Cool overriding Logic. It's unlikely Elan could make an INT check to cut the correct rope but a bard swinging down, with rapier in hand, to save a colleague in a high stakes battle, with a hi-three, is cool.

The trouble with D&D 3.5 is its rules describe everything in mechanical terms. A DM might insist on an INT check to cut the correct rope, or a DEX check to hi-three but that's not cool for a high CHA character. Someone needs to create a mechanic so the more charismatic the PC, the more often the player can say "I succeed at the task because it'll look cool!"

Remember the difference between arcane casters.

• Sorcerer: Doesn't just do magic, but is innately magical because of ancestry.
• Wizard: Learns all they need to know about magic.
• Warlock: has magical knowledge directly inserted into their brain by Someone with an agenda
• Bard: does magic because they are just that cool
• Artificer: I make the magical things

[Grey Watcher]

Even with the sword laying right next to him, Roy STILL doesn't pick up the sword!!!

Before either he or Elan got Giant Axe to the Face'd, 3E action economy says Roy could've done two of three things: stand up, attack, pick up sword. Add in that choosing to leave out "stand up" would've resulted in I-forget-what kind of crazy penalties to the attack, I think he made the right call. (And, as others have pointed out, he is leaning over to pick up the sword in the last panel.)

Plus, if the universe conspires to let you uppercut a frost giant, I think that's something you just gotta go for.

[Nate the Snake]

Plus, if the universe conspires to let you uppercut a frost giant, I think that's something you just gotta go for.

"Actually, I may punch you in the face anyway, just for the novelty of being able to reach."

[Peelee]

Remember the difference between arcane casters.

• Sorcerer: Doesn't just do magic, but is innately magical because of ancestry.

Don't forget the component pouch for their innate magic. Their power is in their blood. And also in their required bat guano.