OotS 568 is up

[Fenes]

Remember that the oracle also predicted Belkar's death.

 

[Cryptos]

Remember that the oracle also predicted Belkar's death.

And Durkon's... although not necessarily as imminent.

Maybe I wasn't too far off in the last comment... a total party kill could be what he's going for... or a TPK less Haley and Elan, who have to get back together, build up a new party to eventually get everyone raised from the dead, and/or delay Xykon until they can all be raised.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Individually, the strips are good and I'm very glad that Belkar finally got smacked down. More than anything, he just annoys me. I understand the type of character / player he represents, and why he's there in terms of the narrative, but, I'm glad this happened to him.

But am I the only one extremely frustrated by the overall direction of things since Azure City fell? It seems like every strip is a "gotcha" moment, or its about someone screwing up or suffering the consequences of a screw-up. A little balance would be nice.

I suspect Rich is a fan of comics like Giffen's JLI or LSH, where he would stomp them into the dirt, break their bones, dissolve the team and have everything they fought for lost.

And then bring them back together to save the day, more meaningfully than if they'd just gotten their noses a little bloodied.

With Rich's (understandable) schedule, there's a bit more delayed gratification than with monthly comic books, but I think that's what he's doing here. When Roy comes back to life, it'll signal the tide turning.

 

[Rechan]

Actually... a TPK would be an interesting few strips. Namely, the whole party (sans Roy) getting interviewed and sent to their various destinations.

 

[wedgeski]

But am I the only one extremely frustrated by the overall direction of things since Azure City fell? It seems like every strip is a "gotcha" moment, or its about someone screwing up or suffering the consequences of a screw-up. A little balance would be nice.

Even in a world of drawn out TV plots and "one step forward, two steps back" revelations, I don't ever find myself judging it by any standard but itself. Every new strip is a brilliant start to my day, and I'm continually amazed at the sophistication and quality of the writing.

 

[small pumpkin man]

Prediction:

Hailey and Belkar had to stay behind to recover Roy's corpse. This is Belkar's fault, because he is responsible for Roy's death (due to the ring). Their splitting up caused the rest of the party the party to leave by boat. V has spent the entire trip trying to contact Hailey and Belkar. He will die of exhaustion.

So because Belkar got Roy killed, they split up, and V kills himself trying to get in touch with them.

How does V gaining Ultimate Arcane Power fit into this?

 

[Fenes]

How does V gaining Ultimate Arcane Power fit into this?

He dies and gets reborn as Varsuvius the White?

 

[Zurai]

I am not sure how to put this in words...but I will anyway cause I'm just like that.

The kobold knew about his own death. So it is very possible that he wasn't making the stuff up about Roy, Miko, Miko's Horse and V. I wonder what he was going to say about V.

Note that the Oracle never said they were ALL going to die by Belkar's hand. Belkar's specific question was, "Will I cause the deaths of Roy, Miko, Miko's Horse, V, or you" (meaning the oracle). OR is the operative word, there. The Oracle's answer was "Yes" - and Belkar has already fulfilled that prophecy by murdering the Oracle. The prophecy could be considered complete, now.

 

[The_Fan]

I wonder what specific effect is tied to the Mark of Justice. The Giant normally cleaves pretty close to the rules (and when he doesn't, he lampshades it), so it should be a Bestow Curse effect. Could be an original curse, but by default it should be a 50% chance to act normally (probably too random to do in a comic), a -6 to one ability score (make him weak as a cat? Could work), or -4 to just about every roll (probably not). It was mentioned that it would make him sick until he's unable to do anything, so perhaps a sickened effect?

We'll see next comic.

 

[Donovan Morningfire]

I know I griped about Belkar''s actions in the thread for 567.

But the pay-off here was well worth it. The title of the kobold village by itself brought a smile to my face.

And from what I recall of Roy's description of the effect, the Mark of Justice probably is a sickening effect, turning the half-pint thug into so much deadweight. Yeah, that ought to make Haley's day