OOTS #1152 - The Discussion Thread

[Peelee]

Unlikely. Greg used Symbol of Death, which is an 8th-level spell for Clerics: therefore he had at least 15 levels. Regeneration, is a 7th, however, same as Resurrection, so he should be able to prepare and cast the spell later.

If he lost no levels, correct. But he lost two levels by being rezzed twice. So if he was 15, he'd now be 13, and unable to cast Regeneration (or Resurrection, for whatever that's worth). my math sucks.

[Ironsmith]

So, apparently OOtS is in the same universe as Dwarf Fortress, what with beer being a vital part of nutrition and all...

Also, unintentional mom burns are the best kind of burn.

[danielxcutter]

So, apparently OOtS is in the same universe as Dwarf Fortress, what with beer being a vital part of nutrition and all...

Also, unintentional mom burns are the best kind of burn.

Nah, I'm pretty sure the "dwarves need beer" is mostly a multiversal constant.

And yes.

[Rogar Demonblud]

I figured out what the end of the strip reminded me of--Fell's Five, where they run into Khal's girlfriend.

"Oh, so this is the brain damaged halfling!"

"stabbitystabbitystabbity"

John Rofgers is a genius at dialogue.

[Ironsmith]

Nah, I'm pretty sure the "dwarves need beer" is mostly a multiversal constant.

I mean, I know that they like beer is a multiversal constant, but I can't think of many variants that explicitly require beer to function on a biological level (as opposed to just in the sense that an office secretary "needs" coffee).

[Spore]

Despite being entirely in character, Belkar's comment somewhat ruined the joke I am afraid.

[Dion]

Given that Hilgya killed Durkon right after Resurrecting him Durkon's likely lost 2 Class levels. I hope that doesn't mean that he's lost the ability to Regenerate his mother's arm.

The same arm that's still holding his father's hand in the afterlife, and is never going to let go?

Yeah, there's a pretty good chance Sigdi is more than happy with one arm.

[Necris Omega]

Huh, I guess Durkon never described his party members well enough for his mom to differentiate them on sight.

But, again, he's a cleric, not a bard, so those kinds of details probably wouldn't be a priority, especially with the limitations of Sending...



Hm. 25 words. I can only imagine the extended effect this could have on one's vocabulary. I don't know if it would make one obtusely brief, sacrificing "good grammar" for the purposes of brevity, or promote the use of the longest, most pompous words one could, if only to get the most out of the 25 words you get.

"Hello! My exemplary compatriots and I ebulliently defenestrated the contemptible mountebanks from atop their imperious fortification, extricating the beleaguered municipality from the authoritarian antidisestablismentarian regime!"

[Peelee]

The same arm that's still holding his father's hand in the afterlife, and is never going to let go?

Yeah, there's a pretty good chance Sigdi is more than happy with one arm.

You know the spell doesn't dissolve that arm, right? It'll still be holding on under all that rubble.

[The_Weirdo]

"Hello! My exemplary compatriots and I ebulliently defenestrated the contemptible mountebanks from atop their imperious fortification, extricating the beleaguered municipality from the authoritarian antidisestablismentarian regime!"

Easier version:

"Revolution!"

[Ironsmith]

Huh, I guess Durkon never described his party members well enough for his mom to differentiate them on sight.

But, again, he's a cleric, not a bard, so those kinds of details probably wouldn't be a priority, especially with the limitations of Sending...



Hm. 25 words. I can only imagine the extended effect this could have on one's vocabulary. I don't know if it would make one obtusely brief, sacrificing "good grammar" for the purposes of brevity, or promote the use of the longest, most pompous words one could, if only to get the most out of the 25 words you get.

"Hello! My exemplary compatriots and I ebulliently defenestrated the contemptible mountebanks from atop their imperious fortification, extricating the beleaguered municipality from the authoritarian antidisestablismentarian regime!"

Or, as has been joked about in a previous thread...

"HimomhowareyoudoingBelkarsbeingalittlecussagainbu theseemstobegettingbetterRoytellsmewe'regoingtoCli ffportsoon...(entire letter in this manner)...Anyway, love ya, mum. Tell Uncle Squeaky I said hi."

[Nephrahim]

So wait, Did Greg send to Durkon's mom too? I assume not, since I assume it'd be obvious he was a vampire.

So she must have been worried! The last message she got was probably about the dangerous adventure he was about to go on!

[understatement]

So wait, Did Greg send to Durkon's mom too? I assume not, since I assume it'd be obvious he was a vampire.

So she must have been worried! The last message she got was probably about the dangerous adventure he was about to go on!

-heading into ziggurat to defend Gate. No way Team Evil and Linear Guild and Vector Legion show up and I get vamped for five years-

Has NONE of the Order, in (I think, two years?) of adventuring together, stumbled upon him Sending? That's some serious failed Spot checks.

[dtilque]

Assuming Durkon hasn't lost too many levels to cast Regeneration, he'll have to prepare it at dawn. Even if he still has some 7th level spells left, it's highly unlikely that Durkula would have prepared that spell.

I'm going to guess that he'll tell Sigdi about it beforehand and she'll outright forbid from him doing so, Her personality type doesn't like to accept that kind of thing, much like now she didn't want to accept the new dress. Oh, she'll have the excuse that Durkon will need the slot for a spell to fight the remaining vampires, but that won't be the real reason she doesn't want it.

[King of Nowhere]

Where is vaarsuvius in this strip? he was the one who could have benefited most from sending to family

[Xel]

There are also a number of magic items that let you use Sending or similar at will, I think, though I don't think they're Core.

Cool. I hadn't thought of increased usability with magic items. Something like the Azure City watchtower warning mechanisms, maybe? http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0370.html

Actually, now that I think about it, a crystal ball would probably work best for fixed routes. It's only one way, but you can simply have it scry on a single location at the message source, and just set parchments in that spot long enough to be copied by whoever is operating the item. Set up one at each location, and you have two-way communication. Teach simple scribes to copy efficiently, and you'll have bandwidth to spare.

Hmm. So how hard would it be to research a Mass form of Sending to simulate radio transmissions (broadcast-only for obvious reasons)?

[Jaxzan Proditor]

I've never gotten to play a real D&D game, but I'm a lot of fun at parties, so I'm sure it will translate.

I actually do think an OOTS podcast would be super interesting, although I may have over-promised myself on podcasts. Also, I moved recently for a job and should probably wait until I get my equipment back to record, although it doesn't matter too much for distance recording.

If that podcast ever becomes a real thing, you’ll have an eager backer. Heck, I’m pretty sure I’d listen to any content you and Peelee could produce.

[Belwynn]

Perhaps Sigdi and Hilgya may yet get along - Sigdi for the sake of Kudzu as many have referenced, and Hilgya for her respect of Sigdi's incendiary repartee. Or perhaps in finding a Dwarf that will not hold judgment over her, Hilgya will find an unexpected family bond.

Or things will go sideways and someone will roll initiative - but I doubt it.

[MReav]

And so, we see more of why V's relationship failed.

I doubt V used Sending to talk with their mate or their children.

[Aquillion]

And so, we see more of why V's relationship failed.

I doubt V used Sending to talk with their mate or their children.

Heck, V is a wizard. If they cared enough to do so, they could have set up a Telepathic Bond with their spouse and made it permanent with Permanency.

[Anarion]

I'm enjoying the way that beer is health food to dwarves. Also the image of Durkon and his Mom hugging is very sweet.

[Paleomancer]

I feel a showdown between Hilgya and Sigdi is coming up ... their contrasting viewpoints and probable alignments nicely complement the situation with Elan's parents. It would be nice to see Durkon
and Hilgya actually come to some mutual understanding for the sake of their child, in contrast to the warped Solomon-like "split the baby" thing that happened with Elan and Nale ... But then, Hilgya seems the kind of character to learn absolutely nothing from her actions. So I guess we'll se, yes ?

Heck, V is a wizard. If they cared enough to do so, they could have set up a Telepathic Bond with their spouse and made it permanent with Permanency.

To be fair, we have no way of knowing if V ever had the opportunity to procure a scroll of Telepathic Bond or Permanency. Certainly he's no cleric, gifted with a large set of spells at each spell level. Frankly, the same question comes up with Durkon and Sending. Surely he could have contacted someone he knew via Sending at any time, be it his mother, his extended family, or even a fellow member of the Church of Thor? After Hurak died, he conceivably could have petitioned the new High Priest for the right to eventually return, rather than relying on Paladin Mail (pun intended). After all, part of the hold the vampire had over him was the memory of being banished before he could even speak with his mother. A lot of the attendant drama goes away the instant he reaches level 7 and can send Sending home. I get the impression that as none of these characters are particularly optimized, a lot of seemingly obvious fixes for their problems simply never occur to them.

[NihhusHuotAliro]

A Sending is still only 25 words. That's not a lot of real dialogue, of life, of how-you-are-doing-and-who-you-are-around.

It's rather telling that, with such limited communication, that Sigdi can tell that "If I worried about all the things I don't worry about, I'd never stop worrying!" is something that Elan would say.

I must say that, before I scrolled down, I thought that that was an Elan line, too.

[factotum]

Btw. when in the comic was Durkon able to cast sending?

All of it. It's only a fourth level spell and I'm pretty sure Durkon has been 7th level or higher since the very first comic.

[danielxcutter]

All of it. It's only a fourth level spell and I'm pretty sure Durkon has been 7th level or higher since the very first comic.

About 10th level or so, I'm guessing; considering that he's been "exiled" for 20 years and the entire comic's only taken one or two, he's probably using that for a looooooong time.

[RMS Oceanic]

Also I assume that Durkon is meant "murder fer a decent pint" not "murder a decent pint".

Or wait, maybe he means murder as in drink savagely.

"I could murder a [foodstuff/drink]" is a common expression round here denoting intense desire for it.

[Steveio]

To be fair, we have no way of knowing if V ever had the opportunity to procure a scroll of Telepathic Bond or Permanency. Certainly he's no cleric, gifted with a large set of spells at each spell level. Frankly, the same question comes up with Durkon and Sending. Surely he could have contacted someone he knew via Sending at any time, be it his mother, his extended family, or even a fellow member of the Church of Thor? After Hurak died, he conceivably could have petitioned the new High Priest for the right to eventually return, rather than relying on Paladin Mail (pun intended). After all, part of the hold the vampire had over him was the memory of being banished before he could even speak with his mother. A lot of the attendant drama goes away the instant he reaches level 7 and can send Sending home. I get the impression that as none of these characters are particularly optimized, a lot of seemingly obvious fixes for their problems simply never occur to them.

You can't send to people you aren't familiar with. So even if Durkon knew Hurak was dead and Rubyrock had replaced him, nobody was able to tell him anything about her that differentiated her from every other dwarf.

Or telepathically calling to the high priest of an entire religion to ask for something is poor form.

[Fyraltari]

That seems unlikely.

It's like having a son who is a catholic priest on a mission in a forest and when you talk to him once every week, never say: "Oh, the old pope is dead. We have a new pope."

Sure, sending is only 25 words, but for a priest of a god the death of the very high priest of that same god should be quite the big news.

Even more if Durkon said to his mom that it was the aforementioned high priest to cast him away (and I don't see a reason for him not saying that to her, too, but maybe this will be explained in the next strip.)

And yet, Dukon's letter is written to Hurak, not Rubyrock.
"Just as ye said". So he did believe him to still be alive by then.

[Ciffo]

Loved the comic.

I must confess that in my old D&D game I made a cleric with a backstory very similar to Durkon's one and as soon as he hit 7th level, the first spell he used was a sending for his mother to know how she was. I'm now in some manner impressed that my RP was so similiar to what Durkon did.

[Svata]

Oh. Right. It's only been a week or so in-universe.