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Alchenar posted:Given the penultimate panel, I'm hoping I'm not alone in thinking that V's saying 'superior intelligence' as a double entendre when previously he/she would just have been boasting.
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Dec 19, 2013 23:39
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mutantmell posted:It's certainly an improvement even from an earlier point in this arc, where she was fighting Nale's team: Does the coloring in the archives look off to anyone else, or is my phone just dying?
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Dec 19, 2013 23:42
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Looks like V made the right call back when they were being chased. Apparently all those wormholes burned up a significant portion of Laurin's PP for the day. Also, Blackwing was fantastic in this one.
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Dec 19, 2013 23:44
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MechanicalTomPetty posted:That Ioun stone Blackwing swiped was the "bonus caster level" one right? I bet V's gonna get some mileage out of that. And its a sublime payoff for the OO SHINY obsession Blackwing has always had.
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Dec 19, 2013 23:46
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The Leper Colon V posted:I doubt it will be explicitly pointed out as such, but that's what I'm thinking it is, too. TBH I don't think it could get much more explicit
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Dec 19, 2013 23:52
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Pope Guilty posted:"I have in excess of twenty-five spells remaining. Not counting cantrips." I laughed a lot at that one. That was fantastic.
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Dec 20, 2013 00:00
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OOTS: first party to be completely upstaged by a familiar. Roy's Dad is gonna have a field day.
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Dec 20, 2013 00:44
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FMguru posted:I like how the Mechane has very strict standing orders about dramatic integrity, which the leading officer on deck enforces at all times. If you look at the number of spells V casted today its likely she indeed had 25. e: I'm actually confused, V opened up with cone of cold, when I thought the plan was to delay Laurin, casting Cone of Cold allowed Laurin at least one round to get a possibly Save or Lose/Suck spell off? Raenir Salazar fucked around with this message at 01:15 on Dec 20, 2013 |
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Dec 20, 2013 01:10
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Raenir Salazar posted:If you look at the number of spells V casted today its likely she indeed had 25. I don't know, you tell us.
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Dec 20, 2013 01:35
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NihilCredo posted:...THE STRIP IS IN .PNG
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Dec 20, 2013 01:56
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Wonderful return to form, OOTS  How do you guys know what the little stone V's familiar grabbed does? Does D&D seriously color code power stones? I thought you could enchant pretty much anything and call it a day.
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Dec 20, 2013 01:57
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Wolfsheim posted:Wonderful return to form, OOTS IOUN stones go back to Jack Vance and 1st edition: each colour does something different. The orange one is +1 caster level. So it will make V's spells more powerful, but doesn't have any specific narrative function.
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Dec 20, 2013 02:01
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I really like that the light even goes out from Laurin's eyes when she realizes how hosed this fight is.
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Dec 20, 2013 02:14
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So psipo... psyor... whatever the gently caress Laurin is, their magic works off of a video game-esque MP pool, right? Opposed to V having for instance, 30 Fireball spells, 50 Magic Missiles, 25 Crushing Hands and so on, right?
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Dec 20, 2013 02:33
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sebmojo posted:IOUN stones go back to Jack Vance and 1st edition: each colour does something different. The orange one is +1 caster level. So it will make V's spells more powerful, but doesn't have any specific narrative function.
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Dec 20, 2013 02:34
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Calaveron posted:So psipo... psyor... whatever the gently caress Laurin is, their magic works off of a video game-esque MP pool, right? Opposed to V having for instance, 30 Fireball spells, 50 Magic Missiles, 25 Crushing Hands and so on, right? Trapezium Dave posted:Does +1 caster level mean a wizard could be casting a whole new level of spells, or is it just that a spell that would have lasted for fifteen minutes now goes for sixteen instead (which from a narrative persective doesn't mean much)?
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Dec 20, 2013 02:35
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Trapezium Dave posted:Does +1 caster level mean a wizard could be casting a whole new level of spells, or is it just that a spell that would have lasted for fifteen minutes now goes for sixteen instead (which from a narrative persective doesn't mean much)? The latter. As far as I'm aware you only get the new tier of spells if you actually gain a level. +1 Caster Level just means spell effects that scale by level are at your level plus one.
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Dec 20, 2013 02:37
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Trapezium Dave posted:Does +1 caster level mean a wizard could be casting a whole new level of spells, or is it just that a spell that would have lasted for fifteen minutes now goes for sixteen instead (which from a narrative persective doesn't mean much)? Just the "caster level" bonus so no extra spells, but its a solid practically free +1 bonus to most of your abilities, so an upgrade's an upgrade I guess. Assuming that's what it is.
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Dec 20, 2013 02:38
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Trapezium Dave posted:Does +1 caster level mean a wizard could be casting a whole new level of spells, or is it just that a spell that would have lasted for fifteen minutes now goes for sixteen instead (which from a narrative persective doesn't mean much)? Nah, it just affects the power of those spells. So presuming that V's level 15, her spells will hit as if she was a 16th level caster for purposes of damage and overcoming Spell Resistance but she won't get more spells per day or access to higher level spells. EDIT: Double ninja'd! 
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Dec 20, 2013 02:38
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Total mental meltdown from Tarquin any time now. He's down to, what, a knife? No caster, no friends, no family, no army, no contingencies (because he only ever plans ahead for success, it never really dawns on him that everything he does in a day could end in failure) and the narrative is simply refusing to bend to his will. Defeat, much less because it's his own fault, is pretty much alien to his mind. He's been in tight situations he could turn around but right now he's totally screwed. Speedball fucked around with this message at 02:43 on Dec 20, 2013 |
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Dec 20, 2013 02:41
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Speedball posted:Total mental meltdown from Tarquin any time now. He's down to, what, a knife? No caster, no friends, no family, no army, no contingencies (because he only ever plans ahead for success, it never really dawns on him that everything he does in a day could end in failure) and the narrative is simply refusing to bend to his will. No he lost the knife too 
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Dec 20, 2013 02:50
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Hmm, if Tarquin bites it here, Laurin won't get her favor. But I think we're deep into "screw you TV Tropes, watch me do whatever" territory so making that into a red herring is a possibility. Unless the favor ends up being something like "I wanted to borrow his stereo, but since he's dead I'm sure he won't mind."
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Dec 20, 2013 03:02
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Speedball posted:Total mental meltdown from Tarquin any time now. He's down to, what, a knife? No caster, no friends, no family, no army, no contingencies (because he only ever plans ahead for success, it never really dawns on him that everything he does in a day could end in failure) and the narrative is simply refusing to bend to his will. He could easily have a magic item that would take him home safe, but I get the feeling even if he did he's not in a mental position to use it.
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Dec 20, 2013 04:10
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He's going to asspull something to keep himself in the fight at least until Roy gets back so as to twist the "Elan is a supporting character" knife of his defeat.
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Dec 20, 2013 04:17
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SirDan3k posted:He's going to asspull something to keep himself in the fight at least until Roy gets back so as to twist the "Elan is a supporting character" knife of his defeat. I'd love to see another "Disintegrate. Gust of Wind." Tarquin's deeply confused if he thinks that as a Fighter he's the main guy in this.
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Dec 20, 2013 04:18
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It would probably take two or three Disintegrates though. Tarqin's gonna have decent saves and a boatload of hit points. He's barely taken any damage so far, just a slash from Julio I think.
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Dec 20, 2013 04:34
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Pope Guilty posted:I'd love to see another "Disintegrate. Gust of Wind." Tarquin's deeply confused if he thinks that as a Fighter he's the main guy in this. Counterpoint: Roy. Also, was it stated that Tarquin's a Fighter? I wouldn't be surprised if he was a Warblade or had some prestige class or something.
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Dec 20, 2013 04:34
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jng2058 posted:It would probably take two or three Disintegrates though. Tarqin's gonna have decent saves and a boatload of hit points. He's barely taken any damage so far, just a slash from Julio I think. And a sneak attack, but otherwise you're right.
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Dec 20, 2013 04:38
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It wouldn't surprise me if T was kind of crummy in a straight-up fight. A lot of his advantages come from planning ahead, consciously working tropes, having a well-stocked bag of tricks, and using a bunch of obscure prestige class abilities. Roy is all about cutting suckers in half with his greatsword. Now that T has had most of his advantages stripped away, I think he's in a tough place. I wonder what Elan is going to do when his dad is at 4 hp and Ray is about to great cleave him, and he cries out to him for help.
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Dec 20, 2013 05:38
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Assuming none of the rest of Tarquin's group bites it in the immediate future (and there's no guarantee of that) how long do you think they'll be able to hold onto their respective puppet empires without his master scheming powers and Malack backing him? I don't know if they'll turn on each other immediately; anything could happen with the balance disrupted. Like, if nobody is actually managing the Empress of Blood, what'll happen? She's only interested in feeling her rear end grow these days.
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Dec 20, 2013 05:40
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sebmojo posted:He could easily have a magic item that would take him home safe, but I get the feeling even if he did he's not in a mental position to use it. If Tarquin dies here, it's entirely because he wants to die here. I think there's a fair bit of tension in whether or not Rich will write Tarquin snapping out of his rage or forcing himself onto the blade with a smile.
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Dec 20, 2013 05:44
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Spiderdrake posted:He doesn't need a magic item. He doesn't need anything. He can seriously say to Elan "Let me live" and his son will do it, no matter what. 
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Dec 20, 2013 05:46
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Presumably, they'll (try to) do the same to her as they've done with every other "ruler" that started getting too comfortable in their thrones, then either try shadow-ruling two suddenly expanded empires, or just flat-out break up without Tarquin's leadership to do their own thing.
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Dec 20, 2013 05:48
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The Leper Colon V posted:Because everyone always acts perfectly logically all the time, and the last several strips have most certainly not been showing him getting more and more unhinged and uncontrolled.
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Dec 20, 2013 06:06
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Speedball posted:Assuming none of the rest of Tarquin's group bites it in the immediate future (and there's no guarantee of that) how long do you think they'll be able to hold onto their respective puppet empires without his master scheming powers and Malack backing him? I don't know if they'll turn on each other immediately; anything could happen with the balance disrupted. Like, if nobody is actually managing the Empress of Blood, what'll happen? She's only interested in feeling her rear end grow these days. Maybe slightly less well, you can't do the 1984-style "we've always been at war with the Empire of Blood" thing with only two sides, but still, once they lock themselves in a situation where they carefully manage their territory gains/losses from each other, they're good. And then there's also no reason why they couldn't initiate another two adventurers. Heck, throw two stones in the arena dungeon.
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Dec 20, 2013 08:59
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Strictly speaking they don't even need to do any of that, just switch to one group of two and two individuals.
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Dec 20, 2013 09:01
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Spiderdrake posted:He doesn't need a magic item. He doesn't need anything. He can seriously say to Elan "Let me live" and his son will do it, no matter what. Surrendering to Elan isn't always the best move to make. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0595.html
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Dec 20, 2013 09:08
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I also don't see them falling in each other's backs just because Tarquin isn't around anymore. That's one thing I really like about them, a group of villains that actually liked each other.
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Dec 20, 2013 09:10
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My Lovely Horse posted:They've been doing it for a while now, they probably picked up enough to get how it works and there's no reason to stop when two groups of evil schemers can split a continent just as well as three can. First order of business would have to be picking the Empire of Blood apart, which should be easy without its master general and high priest. Tarquin has literally the easiest conquest of any of his friends. The Empress could be fooled by a small puddle of raspberry syrup (which would probably make a better Empress of Blood, too). Literally all you have to do to stage a coup is wait until Tarquin's gone, then waltz into her throne room and tell her he sent you to do his job in his place for the foreseeable future. If you're really cunning, you might even throw in a clause about how if he ever comes back and says different, it's a test, and if you let him take his job back, you failed. So really, the most likely aftermath of Tarquin's death is Laurin and Myron prancing into the Throne Room of Blood and telling the Empress that Tarquin thought this whole empire thing he'd been enjoying for the last couple decades was SO BORING he dropped dead, and that his last wish was for his second- and third-best friends, the Empire of the Weeping King and the Empire of the King Whose Distinguishing Feature I Don't Remember, should divvy up the Empire of Blood and take good care of his first-best friend the Empress of Blood until she's the biggest and most powerful dragon in the world and can have all the fun destroying selected targets of whoever called dibs on the half of the Empire with the throne room in it.
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Dec 20, 2013 12:33
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Dr. Buttass posted:Tarquin has literally the easiest conquest of any of his friends. The Empress could be fooled by a small puddle of raspberry syrup (which would probably make a better Empress of Blood, too). Literally all you have to do to stage a coup is wait until Tarquin's gone, then waltz into her throne room and tell her he sent you to do his job in his place for the foreseeable future. If you're really cunning, you might even throw in a clause about how if he ever comes back and says different, it's a test, and if you let him take his job back, you failed. It would be better to tell the Empress that the Empires of Tears and Sweat have been secretly conquered by the Empire of Blood and that's why there's all these Tears and Sweat soldiers around- they just don't have their new armor yet.
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Dec 20, 2013 13:10
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