OOTS #629 is up

[catsclaw227]

Great strip. I like the dark path this is going down, but I would agree that it's straying far from "humor".

I disagree that this is a DM-screwing-the-PC-job. If this WAS based around a fictional D&D game (which it's not), then with all the circumstance and the actions leading up to this, V definitely set him(her)self up for it. And it is a great example of past deeds coming back to haunt the PC(s). How many creatures/NPCs have they killed? And how many had friends/family out there that might want to exact revenge? This one happens to be a Dragon and it took it's time to find out the best way. I looks like good DMing to me.

And I am OK with ending the gender ambiguity part too.

 

[Voadam]

Good dip

How many creatures/NPCs have they killed? And how many had friends/family out there that might want to exact revenge?

"You killed my father yip yip, prepare to die."

 

[Puggins]

Sorry, this is one stupid dragon and a very contrived situation.

The dragon has already visited V's family twice. She could (and should!) have already killed them. Why take the chance that they might leave or that V's Epic grand-uncle Archmage comes for a visit? She could have killed them, then waited for the perfect situation to tell V, brandishing the mate's skin while she's at it.

Still, a dramatic comic.

 

[billd91]

Sorry, this is one stupid dragon and a very contrived situation.

The dragon has already visited V's family twice. She could (and should!) have already killed them. Why take the chance that they might leave or that V's Epic grand-uncle Archmage comes for a visit? She could have killed them, then waited for the perfect situation to tell V, brandishing the mate's skin while she's at it.

Because all true villains monologue. I believe it's written into the contract when they sign aboard for the project...

 

[Merkuri]

Sorry, this is one stupid dragon and a very contrived situation.

The dragon's probably not operating on logic at this point. Dragons are often portrayed as being very patient. This one has patiently waited and schemed for a while to make its revenge PERFECT. Not perfiect in a logic sense, but perfect in an emotional sense.

Killing V's children is not the end goal here. Making V suffer is the goal. Really, I think the dragon already accomplished her goal by holding V helpless and telling him she was going to kill his kids slowly and painfully. She needs to follow up on the threat to make it real, but she already got what she came for, really - an angry, terrified V, powerless to stop her.

 

[Pbartender]

Sorry, this is one stupid dragon and a very contrived situation.

The dragon has already visited V's family twice. She could (and should!) have already killed them. Why take the chance that they might leave or that V's Epic grand-uncle Archmage comes for a visit? She could have killed them, then waited for the perfect situation to tell V, brandishing the mate's skin while she's at it.

No. Because knowing it's happening and you can't do anything to stop it is worse than knowing it already happened.

The latter would allow V to use "I was never given a chance to save to them" to absolve any guilt about being unable to save them. If it's already happened, it's not V's fault that they died.

In the former situation, there is no excuse. V knows its going to happen, but is (ostensibly) powerless to stop the dragon. Ouch. That hurts. Now it's V's fault the spouse and kids die.

 

[Filcher]

So is this the lead in to "By saying the 4 right words to the right being at the right time for all the wrong reasons?"

If so, any guesses to the words?

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0331.html

 

[Spatula]

If I were V's player, I'd be awfully tempted to dump my drink on the DM's notes and leave the game, as this reeks of just being one gigantic screw-job simply to feed the DM's ego.

Seems to be a fairly obvious setup to V agreeing to the imp's assistance, to me.

 

[Starbuck_II]

So is this the lead in to "By saying the 4 right words to the right being at the right time for all the wrong reasons?"

If so, any guesses to the words?

Giant In the Playground Games

" I am Death Incarnate!"
That is 4 words. And both the guilt of his dreams and his children/mate will die due to his actions.

 

[Celebrim]

I hand my RB DM crown to Rich.

Wow. That's harsh.

This is why you never split the party. DM's hate it when everyone at the table demands you have a separate play session just for them.

*On the subject of how V's 'player' should react to this sort of thing, I think its obvious from the character's declared motivation ('acquire ultimate arcane power'), alignment (neutrality), personality ('obsessive'), and backstory ('I've abandoned a spouse and two children in my quest for power'), that it was the player's intention to explore this sort of storyline. I mean, he could have very well told the DM at the beginning of the campaign, "I want to explore with this character the notion of being obsessed with the acquisition of power and the cost we pay when we make power our ultimate desire to the exclusion of everything else." In that case, both the character and the DM are doing a very good job promoting the story arc, and the player is probably very satisfied with the story as it is developing.

I would be if I was the player. It's harsh, but that would be exactly what I was going for. A session like this would give me as the player a ton to think about. I'd probably spend the whole week thinking about how my character would react to this.