OOTS #1180 - The Discussion Thread

[Gift Jeraff]

Belkar will die of alcohol poisoning and Minrah will replace him.

[Schroeswald]

Yay! I was right, finally I managed to do it once! Also this confirms that Minrah has levels in fighter.

[Mad Humanist]

So what about the guy falling down the slope of infinite pain? That loose end still needs wrapping up.

And I guess maybe we will find out what Minrah's secret was after all. Though maybe she might be about to Tinna that her cousin is in love with her.

All soap opera type stuff really.

[Petrocorus]

I love everything about Minrah in this strip.
I didn't expect it, but in hindsight i totally should have.

Sigdi not getting a new arm before they go?

Yeah, that bugs me as well.
Probably the time constraint.

Not sure how up to date the top post of the Class and Level geekery thread is, but if it's accurate Minrah is around 10 levels below the rest of the party. Though there's a fair bit of wiggle room there (we know she's at least level 5, but could be higher, and she may have leveled from recent events)

We know she's at least level five, and that she's at least Cleric 4 after Raise, but it difficult to evaluate how many fighter/guard levels she took before multiclassing.
Given what she says about herself, and how she fared in the fight against the vampires, i'd tend to surmise she took at least 2 or 3 levels in fighter/warrior before going Cleric.

[NRSASD]

Anyone else wildly confused for an embarrassingly long period of time by the comic's title: 1180: +1?

Actual thoughts: So it's... 1181? What's the significance of 1181? What happened in that year?!

[CriticalFailure]

wasn’t expecting Minrah to come along but I’m excited for it!

[Reboot]

She explained why she didn't want a new arm a while back, didn't she? It's because her missing arm, wherever it is, is still holding the hand of her dead husband. That hasn't changed in the intervening years, it wasn't like she was just sat there waiting for Durkon to level up enough to regenerate it for her.

Not exactly. The last thing she said about it was that Durkon shouldn't waste the spell slot on her before a fight, and she didn't know what she would do with two arms in the battle anyway.

The bit you're thinking about was a flashback to why she spent her 25k on getting five strangers raised, rather than her husband True Resurrected.

Granted, lots of people think it was the "real" reason, and it might be, but getting her arm restored was also Durkon's entire reason for becoming a cleric. And he still intended to do it when talking to Durkula about it, long after "I NEVER LET GO!"

Is it just me or does that last line not bode very well? Minrah is alone with a vamp on the loose just in time for an end-of-book stinger.

i'm probably overreacting but that's just the vibe i got from it.

I don't think you're overreacting.

[Particle_Man]

Belkar will die of alcohol poisoning and Minrah will replace him.

You jest but Belkar is due to die according to the oracle so Minrah being around would be a convenient way to keep the party with six characters.

Oh, speaking of which: sometimes if one is invited to a wedding or a dinner party you get an invitation that says “John Smith plus one guest” so that John Smith can bring a spouse or partner or friend or whatever. Makes the food planning easy without having John Smith being alone or having to ask questions of every named guest as to who else they want to come, which is time consuming. So the comic title “plus 1” is a play on words but the word is “party”. Like adventuring party or dinner party. Only Minrah invited herself. And the word “party” was not in the title. But it still counts as Funny and Yay Minrah!

There, was that a sufficiently Minrah-like explanation for the comic title?

[2D8HP]

The confused look on Vaarsuvius' face is priceless!

And I learned that the Belkster is totally down with other cultures ways (and that Roy doesn't seem to hold his Dwarves ale well)!

[Petrocorus]

Would if I could, but I'm in the same boat.

I think its referring to Minrah joining.

I believe this is referring to Minrah joining the Order.

But it could be referring to the Giant personally plus-one-ing Roy's last sentence.

[137beth]

[QUOTE=Fyraltari;24149808]Also, can somebody explain the title to me? I don’t get it.

/QUOTE]

A "+1" is an extra person who comes to an event or party (the celebration/social event type of party). Minrah is now joining the adventuring party, so she's a +1.

[nabcif]

I'm wondering what is up with Hilgya and Kudzu, myself. OK, she's satisfied her thirst for vengeance and proven to be a petty, self-serving jerk, like her deity.

Maybe Kudzu is still at Thor's temple because Miss Cleric-Who-Can't-Resist-Domination-Magic is a vampire now?

Unlikely, but amusing to contemplate. Which...um.

Is it just me or does that last line not bode very well? Minrah is alone with a vamp on the loose just in time for an end-of-book stinger.

i'm probably overreacting but that's just the vibe i got from it.

OK, now I'm less amused by my idea. :-(

[syskill]

Yay, Cousin Oliver is joining the cast for the next season. Huzzah. Awesome.

[JumboWheat01]

Silly elf. Don't you know it's rude to visit dwarven lands and not partake in their fine, strong ales?

[amanamana]

You jest but Belkar is due to die according to the oracle so Minrah being around would be a convenient way to keep the party with six characters.

Oh, speaking of which: sometimes if one is invited to a wedding or a dinner party you get an invitation that says “John Smith plus one guest” so that John Smith can bring a spouse or partner or friend or whatever. Makes the food planning easy without having John Smith being alone or having to ask questions of every named guest as to who else they want to come, which is time consuming. So the comic title “plus 1” is a play on words but the word is “party”. Like adventuring party or dinner party. Only Minrah invited herself. And the word party was not in the joke. But it still counts as Funny and Yay Minrah!

There, was that a sufficiently Minrah-like explanation for the comic title?

Don't forget about the drinking. +1 is a recurrent thing to say/hear while having a few beers under a time constraint. Or so I heard... Wink wink.

Cheers.

[Ron Miel]

And why is V so irritated about this? Can elves not drink?

V has been known to enjoy the odd glass of Elven wine.


Minrah, panel 6, is this the first time we've seen someone making a fist in the current art style? I can't think of any others.

[Frozenstep]

V has been known to enjoy the odd glass of Elven wine.


Minrah, panel 6, is this the first time we've seen someone making a fist in the current art style? I can't think of any others.

When Minrah punched Durkon.

[Ruck]

Source? I just remember her saying "not before the battle, you need all the spells you have."

There isn't a source, merely a lot of assumption and forum speculation.

I hope Sigdi does get her arm restored before Durkon leaves, and I'll be disappointed if she doesn't. Storytelling-wise, it's a great button on Durkon's return home. Character-wise, Sigdi is not sentimental; she's pragmatic, and the entire case for her refusing is that she's sentimental. If she was sentimental, she would have had Tenrin resurrected in the first place.

[2D8HP]

...And why is V so irritated about this? Can elves not drink?

Vaarsuvius looks more confused than angry to me, and she drinks...

...wine

...look at Belkar being a valuable member of the team for once!

Indeed, to leave without sampling the local beverage would be rude and dishonorable!

It might even be required to maintain honor under the circumstances.

Well said!

A fight in Dwarven Land = A drinking contest.

Valiantly do their livers struggle!

---

Edit: Alas my thumbs were too slow, I was ninja'd by the swift and stealthy @Ron Miel on the wine,

[jidasfire]

Hmm, not sure how I feel about this.

Minrah's a perfectly fine one-off character. She's spunky and cute. She was a good foil for Durkon and Thor in the afterlife and letting her come back felt like one of those nice afterthoughts you can only get in a story where moderate-level casters can alter the balance of life and death. That said, I don't really think she's ready for prime time.

Being taken out by a stray shot from Hilgya doesn't really bode well for her ability to throw down with Xykon and Redcloak, so I don't see what she really contributes other than a warm body and a few minor heal spells (which Elan can do). I can't imagine her doing much for the crew of the Mechane, either. She's kinda funny, but doesn't provide a strong enough humor role that couldn't be better filled by a main character (dwarf/tree jokes = Durkon, spunky girl jokes = Haley, straight man jokes = Roy, doesn't know the plot jokes = Belkar or Elan). She doesn't have a quest of her own to undertake (and honestly it's a little late in the story for that anyway), and unless I'm misreading, I don't think she and Durkon are going to end up dating. Is she there so the audience of the final book can have some last-minute recapping and exposition provided? That doesn't seem like enough.

I look forward to being proven wrong, but for now I just don't see it.

[kiapet]

Anyone else wildly confused for an embarrassingly long period of time by the comic's title: 1180: +1?

Actual thoughts: So it's... 1181? What's the significance of 1181? What happened in that year?!

I thought for a minute it was saying there was an extra comic included? Or something?

[kida]

There isn't a source, merely a lot of assumption and forum speculation.

I hope Sigdi does get her arm restored before Durkon leaves, and I'll be disappointed if she doesn't. Storytelling-wise, it's a great button on Durkon's return home. Character-wise, Sigdi is not sentimental; she's pragmatic, and the entire case for her refusing is that she's sentimental. If she was sentimental, she would have had Tenrin resurrected in the first place.

If Sigdi restore her arm, does the old arm disappear? Can't she still old her husband?

[Grey Watcher]

Huh. I would've expected Minrah to become the leader of Team Vampire Hunter as a plausible and suitably honorable way of getting her to exit narrative, stage left.

I get that it fits with her scrappy, never-say-die personality, but Roy has a point. Between Team Evil and the super monsters at Kraagor's Gate, Minrah is like, what, level 5? She'll be lucky if she qualifies as a speed bump in that context.

[Peelee]

If Sigdi restore her arm, does the old arm disappear?

Nope.

Can't she still old her husband?

Yep.

[Furious J]

Did not expect this development, even though other folks predicted it.

I got a big grin out of her threat of fisticuffs to the tallest, strongest fighter in the vicinity. I'm quite pleased that we get to see more of her interacting with the rest of the Order.

[factotum]

I get that it fits with her scrappy, never-say-die personality, but Roy has a point. Between Team Evil and the super monsters at Kraagor's Gate, Minrah is like, what, level 5? She'll be lucky if she qualifies as a speed bump in that context.

She might only be level 5 as a cleric, but like O-Chul, she apparently has a bunch of fighter levels as well--we just don't know how many.

[rbetieh]

Is Roys neck sore? He spends a lot of time looking down lately.

[BasiliskSoldier]

Anyone else wildly confused for an embarrassingly long period of time by the comic's title: 1180: +1?

Honestly, a little, but when I actually read the comic it cleared up pretty quickly

It reads better on the archives page, where the comic's number (1180) and it's title (+1) are more clearly separate.

[Reboot]

As far as Roy's Lawful status go, given that this is the Dwarven lands, getting drunk is actually the Lawful thing to do. Why, what's more lawful than participating in local traditions in their intended manner?

Dwarfs can hold their beer better than Roy apparently can :p

She might only be level 5 as a cleric, but like O-Chul, she apparently has a bunch of fighter levels as well--we just don't know how many.

She's definitely lower-level than the OOTS, who are apparently mid-teens... so maybe c. L10 or 11 total?

[gatemansgc]

welcome to the order of the stick, minrah!

hopefully there's a random encounter or two along the way so she and durkon can regain the levels lost in death. durkon probably regained one fighting the vampires but he lost two.