OOTS #599 - The Discussion Thread

[Lord_Drayakir]

Actually, even if V was evil she would still care about Haley: Evil does/can care about friends.

Maybe V will become a Fiend Binder from ToM.

Yeah, that's a good point. I didn't know about a Fiend Binder demon, but whatever. It still doesn't seem likely that V will pick Quarr as his assistant/familiar, because he's too smart for that. On the other hand, Blackwing (who?) has been kinda useless, so maybe that.

[stevekgoodwin]

(paraphrased)Woo! Comic up at 1111 hours (11:11am)!

In your timezone only. It was 9.11pm in mine.

The chance of the comic being posted at 11:11 (somewhere) is much higher than 1 in 720 = 0.1% (let's assume 12 hour time).

There are a lot of "integer" timezones 25, I believe, and a bunch of "half" timezones. There is at least 1 crazy "quarter" timezone (in the middle of the Nullarbor Plain in Australia, if I hadn't just driven through it and seen the sign I wouldn't have believed it. Australian Central Western Standard Time” (ACWST), or GMT +8:45. http://www.howderfamily.com/blog/?p=104. I've lived in Australia for 37 years and never heard of it until last month).

Which means if Rich posts at x:11, x:41 in ANY hour it will be 11:11 somewhere in the world. Which is 24 chances in 720 (25 if you count ACWST).

Thus, ladies and gentlemen I present the odds for OOTS posting at 11:11 is in fact 3.5%.

Which means it should have occurred about 20 or 21 times already.

[Dacia Brabant]

*Cough*, heh.

This makes a lot more sense than the lich theory actually, which the current comic explodes ("Trancing is not biologically required for elves"), and it provides V a real agent who could probably deliver on promises of power...for a price.

I did think though that there would be a confrontation between V and the paladins to necessitate him leaving. Oh well, after all she's not an antagonist just yet, but yeah there was no way V would stick around and I'm not surprised Elan and Durkon got kicked to the curb.

It's been said before, but it bears repeating: there's no way V can obtain ultimate power anytime much before the end of the strip, because ultimate power implies he could defeat anyone--Xykon, Hinjo, Qaar, the entire rest of the OotS working together--without much effort. Unless, of course, he somehow gains ultimate arcane power and then loses it again almost instantly, and again, I can't see that happening right here and now...

I've said it before, I'll say it again: "You don't know the power of the Dark Side."

Or as his boss put it much more bluntly: "POWER!!....UNLIMITED POWER!"

[Starscream]

This is going to have...consequences. Can't wait for the next strip.

[Tom90deg]

Well well...Looks to be that V is suffering from just a titch of pride. Of course, that's how he's always acted, to be honest. He knows he's the most powerful person in the group, regardless of any evidence to the contrary. He can't contact Haley, but to be honest, that dos'nt matter. If someone told him that he couldn't have a cookie, then sealed them away, he would probaly have gone just as nuts to PROVE that he was the best. He has to be number one, no matter what, and any evidence that he is not can be safely ignored.

On another note, He is going to get a reaming from Haley for just leaving the boat.

[Woof]

Ugh, we're getting even more side-tracked with group split-ups instead of getting the gang back together? :/

[SteveMB]

Ultimate Arcane Power here I come! V sure wants it, no matter the cost But Elan did surprised me a bit with his answer - "have a nice trip" (BURN!); that was a real mature decision.

Actually, it may be for the best -- in h** current state, Vaarsuvius is a danger to anyone around h**....

[Laurentio II]

Actually, it may be for the best -- in h** current state, Vaarsuvius is a danger to anyone around h**....

Seems more a "Have fun Vaarsuvius, in a place way away from Hinjo and his search for truth. I don't want to see my foster parents... ehm... friends to have a fight"

[DomaDoma]

V will find a secluded lair in which to finish the ritual of Lichdom.

Then, once transformed as an undead abomination, it will be able to work ceaselessly on achieving real ultimate power!


Or maybe not. But he looks about as alive as Michael Jackson.

Hah. I have maintained for a while that Michael Jackson has been making Horcruxes.

[AstralFire]

Good riddance. Now maybe they can get something done without that incompetent elf.

[Estovus]

it is hard to disagree.

roy is dead for over 150 strips, oots spliting up more, and with lesser funny and more aggresive dialogues in every strip. it seems it's now ex-oots, since all members are seperated, which is not fun in my point of view. and payoff wont come for the next 100 strips or so it seems..

it changed a lot from the strip #1, hope some nice differences will come with #600, like the old days of oots.

If you like comics where practically nothing changes from strip 1, you're probably better off reading... I don't know, some other webcomic.

Here's what I think will happen:

Spoiler

Show

Strip changes back to Haley and co., who are in deep trouble with the Thieves' guild. Things escalate, and when it seems all hope is lost, V appears and saves the day.

[AstralFire]

Spoiler

Show

V will not be saving anyone's day, except maybe Qarr's.

[Estovus]

Spoiler

Show

V will not be saving anyone's day, except maybe Qarr's.

Why? She's already made it clear that finding Haley is her top priority.

[AstralFire]

Why? She's already made it clear that finding Haley is her top priority.

That's why. It may be his top priority, but V is dumb as an awakened brick - he's the stereotypical fighter of the party. Assumes he should be in charge, no emotional intelligence, has no ability to lead, and his methodology involves hitting the thing harder again.

[Bayle]

The political reference was brilliant :) Well done giant, well done.

"Gotcha Questions" hahaha.

[Flashlight]

I like how Elan is developing from an idiot bard to an actually very cool character. As far as I recall, he used his bluff skill for the first time.

[Estovus]

That's why. It may be his top priority, but V is dumb as an awakened brick - he's the stereotypical fighter of the party. Assumes he should be in charge, no emotional intelligence, has no ability to lead, and his methodology involves hitting the thing harder again.

I'm going to assume you haven't read the entire comic if you think V is incompetent, as a wizard or otherwise. And even if she was anything like you describe, she'd still be able to research a spell that could get her to Haley eventually, at the speed of plot.

[The Glyphstone]

Funny comic, but if panel 6 of Elan/Hinjo is a subtle dig on the current US political situation, I have to say I'm disappointed with the Giant for the first time in many comics. Board ban aside, I come here to laugh and escape the real world, not be reminded of it.

[Scutatus]

Ultimate Arcane Power here I come! V sure wants it, no matter the cost But Elan did surprised me a bit with his answer - "have a nice trip" (BURN!); that was a real mature decision.

Actually I think it was very mature. V just committed cold blooded murder and threatened to do the same to Elan for the slimmest of reasons. V is making snap irrational judgements and backing them up with murderous power. She has become psychotically dangerous, but unlike Belkar V is beyond any means of control. In Elan's eye's V is, morally, now no better than Belkar - possibly even worse, but being far more powerful is too inherently dangerous to keep around.

I think Elan can see that V has fallen too far and has become unreachable. Nothing Elan can say will make a difference anyway and trying to stop her would only likely get Elan and Durkon killed. Maybe just maybe, it is better that V does leave, now she has fallen so far and become so irrationally uncontrollably dangerous.

Elan probably just saved his and Durkon's lives.

[Charmy]

I can see one good thing coming from all this..

The group will be getting Kubota's kick ass gear back! Woohoo!

There is no way Lien can miss heavy purple armor that'd sink like an anchor into the ocean floor during her body-search.

I'd like to see Durkon slip into the stuff personally... although he'd probably have to dye it to fit dwarven achromatic tastes =/

And then we've got the boots, and possibly magic rings and amulets if they're not too small to find.

At the very least its 10s of thousands of gold worth of treasure towards the "True Resurrection Of Roy" fund.

[Spiryt]

That's why. It may be his top priority, but V is dumb as an awakened brick - he's the stereotypical fighter of the party. Assumes he should be in charge, no emotional intelligence, has no ability to lead, and his methodology involves hitting the thing harder again.

Meh. I wouldn't put it that way...

But indeed, despite his/her supreme intelligence V tends to be indeed dumb as brick sometimes. And combined with complete delusion, it won't bring anything good.

[AstralFire]

I'm going to assume you haven't read the entire comic if you think V is incompetent, as a wizard or otherwise.

Incompetency and incapability are two different issues. V is capable, but he's been failing for a while now, depending on sheer luck and determination to get him through. See: Pit Fiend Fight.

He's intelligent, but his relatively low Wisdom score is fairly obvious repeatedly (Iron Mage is a good example!) and it's been thrown into sharp note on the boat.

And even if she was anything like you describe, she'd still be able to research a spell that could get her to Haley eventually, at the speed of plot.

Well after Haley/Celia have things more or less wrapped up, I'm certain, and then he can burden THEIR group instead of Hinjo.

[Azazel]

Perfect. Now we'll have a few more alignment discussions of action vs intent.
Sadly, V transforming into an undead skeletal mage would be the ultimate finger to the debates on V's gender since there will be nothing left to determine it by unless you're into analysing cheek and pelvic bones.
Few things are as gender ambigous as a stick figure skeleton...

[silvadel]

Hmm -- Elan said -- have a nice trip -- after the prior thing it kind of reminds me of Coneheads...

When we take over the world you will be on the protected roles and come to no harm.

I mean if Haley were to end up dead and V were to find that out -- especially if it was fresh(got here just a little too late due to the bumblings of Hinjo and friends) I could REALLY see eVil.

[randomnondescri]

Well, Kubata's armor is probably down there; might be interesting to see what happens if its found.

Also, I don't think the "gotcha" reference is specific to Palin - she's hardly the first person to accuse the media of playing gotcha....

[Werekat]

*crosses fingers and hopes for the encounter between Vaarsuvius and Quarr to end in some sort of a farce - like V not noticing the imp for tiredness, or whatever*

Because there are things in the wizard's handbooks which are written in the blood of utter fools, and dealing with devils is one of them.

*is also kind of hoping that V is finally going to have a breakdown, somewhere no one can see the elf - sometimes these things can heal*

Though I doubt it, really - sometimes having too much willpower and perseverance is deadly.

[Estovus]

Incompetency and incapability are two different issues. V is capable, but he's been failing for a while now, depending on sheer luck and determination to get him through. See: Pit Fiend Fight.

What, you mean the Pit Fiend that she completely and utterly defeated? I think she'd probably worked out the risks of her plan. She has only been failing at finding Haley, and that's been because of the Cloister spell.

Well after Haley/Celia have things more or less wrapped up, I'm certain, and then he can burden THEIR group instead of Hinjo.

...Sure, why not.

[AstralFire]

What, you mean the Pit Fiend that she completely and utterly defeated?

You misplaced your descriptors there - you mean barely defeated. The chance that all of those spells worked on a pit fiend of that power is fairly astronomical between saves, SR, and Prismatic Spray's inherent randomness. There's luck in strategy, and then there's sheer dumb luck.

She has only been failing at finding Haley, and that's been because of the Cloister spell.

What's causing it is irrelevant. Vaarsuvius could have sped along every single issue they've had - Control Weather and Gust of Wind are two obvious RAW ways to speed up a bunch of sailboats, and he could have easily researched something more specifically applicable - and thus had thousands of classed NPCs and half of a party to back him up with whatever alternative routes they decided to take. Instead, he's futilely throwing himself up against a magical wall out of sheer bloodymindedness. The incompetence isn't that he has failed to find Haley, the incompetence is how much more he could be doing to save the damn world and he's frankly done the least on that front for how much he seems to enjoy criticizing the rest about it.

[Somber Requiem]

Well this is something I didn't predict. V on his own with an imp around isn't good. Because the imp isn't going to temp with 'come over to the dark side'. He's not even going to tempt with power. "Hey, I can see you're powerful... look at what you did to my poker bud... why you can do anything... oh? You're doing research... huh... well I'd be glad to help."

I feel like I'm missing a page or two, though. I don't know WHY V is so enamored of Haley and Roy and not Durkon and Elan. Forcing Elan and Durkon to leave would be something I could expect. But going on his own and abandoning two members of the stick to whatever fate is another.

Anywho... upcoming splash page!

[silvadel]

I wonder what Roy would do if he were offered true ressurection from an evil unknown source anyway?