OOTS #1035 - The Discussion Thread

[CoffeeIncluded]

One of the things I love about this comic is Giant's mastery of storytelling.

He doesn't paste a text box that says "hours later..." but instead shows us three views with the snowstorm slowly ending. A brilliant way of showing how much time has passed, without shoving it in your face like so many lesser artists would.

Oh wow, that's a really good catch!

[Rogar Demonblud]

And again Lien shows off her specialization in "Good, not Stupid."

[Peelee]

Is this a cheap way to show that every magic item has a purpose. Because... a ring of water breathing would become useless after she gains the ability to cast 3rd level spells (though that is quite a high level for paladins: 12th level).

Unless she wants to use a third level spell slot for something else instead of slotting it every day for something that a ring can do for her.

[NihhusHuotAliro]

Oooooh, clever, clever.

Hold your breath for as long as it takes for you to remove the ring, give it to your buddy, have your buddy take a deep breath, remove the ring, and hand it back to you. Difficult at first, but doable, especially after you get in a rhythm.

Poor Lien has to get cold when she doesn't have the ring, though.

Also, "Trust me" "Always". Awwwww, comrades!

[aurilee]

As a quibble because hey, it's the Internet, the shattered ice should not disappear; why would it melt? There ought to be blocks of ice lying around the hole, or the hole should be mostly covered.

The ice was shattered with sonic waves, not a blunt force. The way it cracked/broke up no pieces went flying into the air, so no pieces would be next to the hole. Plus, given that it was already thin, it's possible that the vibrations from the sonic waves heated up some of the ice enough for it to melt. Besides, you can see some of the ice they were standing on is still floating there in the water, it didn't totally disappear.

[SmaugTheYounger]

Raw power vs outthinking the opponent on a basis of trust, abilities and clever use of specialised items. That's the secret sauce of OotS for you. I like it, very much.

[martianmister]

Lean is DEAD and Elan is now an only child.

What is Anel, chopped liver?

[Ave]

Best win ever! An now we know why they were having a paladin off over who's righteous fire kept them warmer. Beautiful comic

Evasion is not a win. It was a draw.

[KillingAScarab]

As a quibble because hey, it's the Internet, the shattered ice should not disappear; why would it melt? There ought to be blocks of ice lying around the hole, or the hole should be mostly covered.

The ice was shattered with sonic waves, not a blunt force. The way it cracked/broke up no pieces went flying into the air, so no pieces would be next to the hole. Plus, given that it was already thin, it's possible that the vibrations from the sonic waves heated up some of the ice enough for it to melt. Besides, you can see some of the ice they were standing on is still floating there in the water, it didn't totally disappear.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this quibble is partially based upon the name of one of the yrthak special attacks being, "explosion." Personally, I'm just happy to see a yrthak at all, but I do find it difficult to distinguish when The Giant had it use sonic lance and when it used explosion. It seems more like he just turned sonic lance into an area effect attack (rather than single-target) which also breaks inanimate objects very well (whether solely due to being sonic damage or not, I do not know).

[Tommy2255]

The use of that "Paladin Off" comic a while back as setting the stage for this part of the story, and establishing character, *and* as foreshadowing is masterful. Very good work.

Also, this is the first I've posted to the thread for a few comics, so it's the first I've heard that that monster is called a Yrthak. I really want to run a campaign setting where a Yrthak lives on a mountain with a bunch of monks like in Skyrim. Somewhat intelligent (it *is* a person, just not a smart person), doesn't speak, and uses sonic attacks? Clearly that's because The Voice is too powerful.

[Shining Wrath]

Am I a mean sadistic DM because I'd require low-level Reflex saves to avoid dropping the ring on each transfer (possible second save to catch it if you drop it).

[warmachine]

My DM wouldn't allow that as he got fed up with a PC swapping rings so frequently.

[Kastor]

That's arctic water. They're going to have to surface soon or suffer hypothermia really quick.
Whoever's wearing the ring wont take damage, but if they alternate use, so Lien doesnt drown, they're both going to get real cold real quick.
Hope they find another place to surface.

[Onyavar]

And we finally have definitive size comparison. Scaling the edges of the ice hole to match...

...Princess Yrthaoke (Northernoke? Goblinoke?) is about 8' tall.

Service: That would translate to about 2.44 meters - wow, rather tall, she wouldn't fit in a standard room, even in most office buildings.

[Edit: corrected. Seriously, calculating with a duodecimal system isn't my forte, but you won't find me complaining about people who keep measuring in non-metric systems]

Also, this is more than a beautiful catch, and carefully designed by the other Giant. I have to admit that I concentrated so much on her horns that I didn't recognize her as a female, even when her sprite revealed it before. It definitely makes sense with the High Priest of Thrym also being a giant... So could this mean that Xykon's Clan of Zombie Frost Giants is guarding the Gate?

[NihhusHuotAliro]

Am I a mean sadistic DM because I'd require low-level Reflex saves to avoid dropping the ring on each transfer (possible second save to catch it if you drop it).

No, sounds like if your players can do out-of-the-box solutions to problems, you can give those solutions out-of-the-box problems themselves.

Of course, this means that your players will try tying string to the ring of breathing.

[PallentisLunam]

Evasion is not a win. It was a draw.

It is when your objective is not martial superiority but reaching an objective. Lien and O'Chul did not kill their opponent but they won the encounter because they get to continue on their journey.

[Ridureyu]

This comic is awesome, though sadly lots of Dms would be all, "You hid from your enemy like a coward, and allowed him to rampage and perpetuate evil again? AND you used deception to make think think you were dead? You both lose your paladin powers! FALL!"

[GregTD]

Am I a mean sadistic DM because I'd require low-level Reflex saves to avoid dropping the ring on each transfer (possible second save to catch it if you drop it).

Yes. Because they're not passing teh ring back and forth, she took teh ring off her finger and put it on his. Try it yourself. They have < 1/100 chance of dropping it.

[clem]

Good fortune that they weren't playing in an edition where one has to be attuned to magic items.

[Toper]

I bet Lien and O'Chul are having breath-holding competitions right now to see who can be tougher and more self-sacrificing.

[Kislath]

NICE!!

As for the cold, I assume that the same magic gear they were using to stay warm before still works underwater.

[Jay R]

I'm surprised the Giant went for that solution, but I'm not sure why.

In this comic, you often won't know why until much later.

I'm also surprised the rider just wandered off, and I know exactly why.

You have a theory. Some later revelation may confirm it, or refute it.

[PallentisLunam]

NICE!!

As for the cold, I assume that the same magic gear they were using to stay warm before still works underwater.

Yeah, O'Chul's cloak does but Lien's weather resistance was on her ring. Although it is entirely possible that the water is warmer than the air above the ice.

[Kantaki]

NICE!!

As for the cold, I assume that the same magic gear they were using to stay warm before still works underwater.

It does. Unfortunatly for Lien it's a secondary effect of the ring she uses to breath underwater in her case. Since she shares it with O'Chul right now the cold could be a problem for her.

[Markozeta]

And we finally have definitive size comparison. Scaling the edges of the ice hole to match...

...Princess Yrthaoke (Northernoke? Goblinoke?) is about 8' tall.

At that height, I'd definitely call it a frost giant. Why? My reasons are my own

[DarioD]

Great comic as always! Someone mentioned this already, but I really like the last three panels and the way the Giant shows the passing of time there.

Also, nice title. "Ringing", heh.

[Bulldog Psion]

Good comic. Like the snowstorm in the last 3 frames to mark passing time.

That's arctic water. They're going to have to surface soon or suffer hypothermia really quick.
Whoever's wearing the ring wont take damage, but if they alternate use, so Lien doesnt drown, they're both going to get real cold real quick.
Hope they find another place to surface.

It has already been established that both the ring and O-Chul's cloak have some form of Endure Elements (I think that's the name, anyway). So if they alternate between the ring and cloak, they'll only be exposed to the cold a couple seconds at a time while swapping. Meaning they can warm up again in between.

It's still going to be unpleasant and stressful, but these are really tough people.

Evasion is not a win. It was a draw.

I confessed I lacked his military experience, but told him I had
found that in some situations winning consisted of disentangling
oneself. -- Gene Wolfe, "The Citadel of the Autarch"

[Anarion]

Tricky. I like that, Lien is smart. I wonder what that guy attacking them was all about though.

[Edhelras]

...Princess Yrthaoke (Northernoke? Goblinoke?) is about 8' tall.

I would prefer Princess Yrthanoke.

Also.

[Draconi Redfir]

Raw power vs outthinking the opponent on a basis of trust, abilities and clever use of specialised items. That's the secret sauce of OotS for you. I like it, very much.

a lot of D&D games i've been part of could use more of this.

Too often difficult problems are solved either by throwing money at it, or having one person cast one spell that instantly solves the problem.