Order of the Stick - Book 5 Discussion Thread

[Little Nemo]

Sandworms. Why did it have to be giant sandworms?

[Hypno-Toad]

I like how it turned his eyes blue.

[Yllaria]

I like the sandworms showing up, but I hope it won't sidetrack the journey too much.

[Saltire]

D&D/Dune is not my idea of a good mash-up, but it will give Roy another giant monster onto which he can leap.

I hope this is the last random encounter roll for a while though. I'd like the next thing to be plot-driven.

[kaylasdad99]

Originally Posted by Der Trihs

688 up!

The Comics Must Flow

Yeah, I wish they would actually flow. At this rate, it's more like they're oozing.

Admittedly I feel kind of bad about complaining about it, as I haven't bought anything from Mr. Burlew, but still: twelve days between updates? I hope he's well.

[John DiFool]

Originally Posted by Saltire

D&D/Dune is not my idea of a good mash-up, but it will give Roy another giant monster onto which he can leap.

Hell, perhaps they can figure out how to open its segments with shovels (or other suitable implements), and start riding it around. Belkar undoubtedly will give it some sort of cutesy name (his right as he 'summoned' the thing), and they'll use it in the next big battle against Lich Bunghole's minions...

[Der Trihs]

Originally Posted by kaylasdad99

I hope he's well.

He's chronically ill, which sometimes results in gaps in his comic output.

[kaylasdad99]

Originally Posted by Der Trihs

He's chronically ill, which sometimes results in gaps in his comic output.

That I knew. I could have phrased it differently, I suppose. I hope he's not going through a particularly rough patch right now, is what I meant.

[Der Trihs]

Originally Posted by kaylasdad99

That I knew. I could have phrased it differently, I suppose. I hope he's not going through a particularly rough patch right now, is what I meant.

"Sorry for the delays, it's been a tough week." is all he said on the OOTS forum.

[Just Some Guy]

Reasonably I know that he's finalizing the publication of the next book in order to have it out for Christmas and that is enough to keep anyone chasing their tail. It doesn't mean that I'm going to be happy about it.

[shantih]

Originally Posted by Der Trihs

"Sorry for the delays, it's been a tough week." is all he said on the OOTS forum.

Well, dagnabbit. I've been checking back for the new comic fairly obsessively, but I thought maybe he was taking a breather after getting the book underway.

I'm not familiar with Dune except through the movie, which I saw once about a million years ago and only to drink in Sting's glorious presence, and no, I do not want to hear about it. I assume the title is a Dune ref?

[Grumman]

Originally Posted by shantih

I'm not familiar with Dune except through the movie, which I saw once about a million years ago and only to drink in Sting's glorious presence, and no, I do not want to hear about it. I assume the title is a Dune ref?

Yes, it's a reference to the phrase "The spice must flow." Without spice interstellar travel will cease and all spice addicts will die, so the ends justify the means.

[shantih]

Ah! Got it, thanks!

[Leaper]

New strip!

At least Belkar's consistent.

[jayjay]

"Awesome! Now we can just hightail it out of here while it stares lovingly at us."

"Just like when we dropped Grandma Bitterleaf off at the nursing home!"

[Chronos]

Who needs a wormhook?

[Bosstone]

Belkar has gotten awesome really fast. When he was a completely sociopathic jerk I didn't care much for him, but this sliiight shift toward working with the group has really made him shine.

[Saltire]

Looks like Mr. Scruffy isn't fond of Durkon. Not surprising, since the cat seems totally in tune with the halfling.

Vaarsuvius is really quite the wizard. That thing's gotta have plenty of hit dice--Isn't Charm Monster success based off the difference between the monster's HD and the caster's level?

[silenus]

Originally Posted by Saltire

Looks like Mr. Scruffy isn't fond of Durkon. Not surprising, since the cat seems totally in tune with the halfling.

I think Mr. Scruffy just doesn't like flying. Or worms.

[Randy Seltzer]

I hope everyone caught the reference to the greatest music video ever conceived.

[Steve MB]

Originally Posted by silenus

I think Mr. Scruffy just doesn't like flying. Or worms.

If you were a cat, would you like worms?

[Peter Morris]

So, Roy still has the ring of jumping. I'd have thought Belkar would have retrieved it from his corpse. Or at least demanded it's return when Roy came back.

[Chronos]

Vaarsuvius is really quite the wizard. That thing's gotta have plenty of hit dice--Isn't Charm Monster success based off the difference between the monster's HD and the caster's level?

Not in 3.x. Save DCs do scale with monster HD, but a thing like that probably has a poor Will save progression. Charm Monster is exactly the right sort of spell to use against it.

[Just Some Guy]

Originally Posted by Saltire

Not surprising, since the cat seems totally in tune with the halfling.

Well one comes from a position of pure malevolence that masquerades as being friendly to get what it wants and the other is a psychotic halfling so it's no surprise they get along...

[E-Sabbath]

... y'all realize it's a Purple Worm, right? http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/purpleWorm.htm
Will save of +4, yep.

[Hypno-Toad]

This strip shows yet again that Roys wisdom is greater than V's. V can charm the monster but doesn't see beyond the immediate problem or how it might be a resource.

[Yllaria]

Originally Posted by Just Some Guy

Well one comes from a position of pure malevolence that masquerades as being friendly to get what it wants and the other is a psychotic halfling so it's no surprise they get along...

Nicely done.

[John DiFool]

I called it.

[Leaper]

New comic!

Heading towards the next major plot point AND a "bow chicka wow" moment at the same time!

[Hypno-Toad]

I liked the Dune reference. And that Belkar is cheering for the bad guy.

[E-Sabbath]

Belkar _is_ reading Dune, then!

[chorpler]

Originally Posted by E-Sabbath

... y'all realize it's a Purple Worm, right? http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/purpleWorm.htm
Will save of +4, yep.

That seems to be a point of contention on the Giant in the Playground forums.

[E-Sabbath]

... It's big and purple and in the System Reference Document. What else could it be?

[Just Some Guy]

Originally Posted by E-Sabbath

... It's big and purple and in the System Reference Document. What else could it be?

A phallic symbol?

[Little Nemo]

Sometimes a giant worm is just a giant worm.

[jayjay]

Or a Phroid's Phanciful Phallusy spell...

[Lightray]

Originally Posted by E-Sabbath

Belkar _is_ reading Dune, then!

Also, note who he's rooting for.

[Reno Nevada]

Originally Posted by Hypno-Toad

I liked the Dune reference. And that Belkar is cheering for the bad guy.

I just wanted to mention that the reference completely whooshed me. Until Hypno-Toad's posting. All Hail Hypno-Toad!

[shantih]

Originally Posted by Reno Nevada

I just wanted to mention that the reference completely whooshed me. Until Hypno-Toad's posting. All Hail Hypno-Toad!

Oh my thick head, I just want to mention that the reference completely whooshed me TWICE. The first two times I read the comic, I thought Belkar was 1) reading the Monster Manual and was telling V not to move him closer to the worm's mouth because of what he'd just learned about it and then 2) reading Dune and was telling V not to move him closer to the worm's mouth because of what he'd just read about it.

It took this post for me to get an Aha! moment. All hail Hypno-Toad and Reno Nevada!

[chorpler]

Originally Posted by E-Sabbath

... It's big and purple and in the System Reference Document. What else could it be?

The contention is over whether it's actually a purple worm, or some homebrew Dune-sandworm creature.

[Yookeroo]

Originally Posted by shantih

Oh my thick head, I just want to mention that the reference completely whooshed me TWICE. The first two times I read the comic, I thought Belkar was 1) reading the Monster Manual and was telling V not to move him closer to the worm's mouth because of what he'd just learned about it and then 2) reading Dune and was telling V not to move him closer to the worm's mouth because of what he'd just read about it.

It took this post for me to get an Aha! moment. All hail Hypno-Toad and Reno Nevada!

If someone wants to clue me in, I'd appreciate it. My memories of Dune are very vague.

[Randy Seltzer]

If someone wants to clue me in, I'd appreciate it. My memories of Dune are very vague.

IIRC, early in the Dune book, the main antagonist is nearly killed by

SPOILER:

an assassin whose tooth contains a small canister of poison gas.

It's more complicated than that, but that should suffice to get the joke.

[Little Nemo]

As you said, it was more complicated then that.

SPOILER:

To briefly recap the first book, there were two noble families, the Atreides (the heroes) and the Harkonnens (the villains). Both were portrayed in very black and white terms - Lincoln vs Hitler. Paul Atreides was the book's main hero and Leto was his father. The Atreides had a doctor in their service named Yueh but the Harkonnens had kidnapped Yueh's wife and used that to make Yueh betray the Atreides. Yueh suspected that the Harkonnens were not going to return his wife so as a fallback revenge plan he implanted a hollow tooth filled with poison gas in Leto. With Yueh's help, the Harkonnens captured Leto and then, sure enough, told Yueh they had killed his wife and were now going to kill him. Yueh told Leto about the tooth and told him that Baron Harkonnen would personally gloat over Leto and to use the tooth then. Baron Harkonnen did show up to gloat as predicted and Leto tried to gas him but Harkonnen got lucky and escaped. So the person Belkar is "warning" is the villainous Baron Harkonnen who is mocking the vanquished hero.

And all this was a minor plotline involving secondary characters. Dune was one complex story. Which was followed by eight more books which made things much more complicated.

[jayjay]

Originally Posted by Little Nemo

As you said, it was more complicated then that.

SPOILER:

And all this was a minor plotline involving secondary characters. Dune was one complex story. Which was followed by eight more books which made things much more complicated.

SPOILER:

Eight? I count 6: Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God-Emperor of Dune, Chapterhouse: Dune and Heretics of Dune.

[Peter Morris]

Ah, suddenly it all becomes clear. I thought that Belkar was telling V not to lean in because the worm has a poison tooth.

[Little Nemo]

Eight? I count 6: Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God-Emperor of Dune, Chapterhouse: Dune and Heretics of Dune.

I don't think a list of the titles needs to be spoilered. I was counting the Brian Herbert/Kevin Anderson books, which I realize some people want to pretend don't exist. Personally, I've only read the first three books.

But I did miscount. There are actually at least thirteen books that followed Dune (although some are chronologically prequels).

The Frank Herbert books:
Dune (1965)
Dune Messiah (1969)
Children of Dune (1976)
God Emperor of Dune (1981)
Heretics of Dune (1984)
Chapterhouse Dune (1985)

The Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson books:
Dune: House Atreides (1999)
Dune: House Harkonnen (2000)
Dune: House Corrino (2001)
Dune: The Butlerian Jihad (2002)
Dune: The Machine Crusade (2003)
Dune: The Battle of Corrin (2004)
Hunters of Dune (2006)
Sandworms of Dune (2007)

Plus there's The Dune Encyclopedia by Willis E. McNelly (1984), which is not considered "canon" and doesn't match the events of later published works, and The Road to Dune (2005), a collection of shorter works by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. And National Lampoon's Doon (1984), a parody by Ellis Weiner, which as I recall had something to do with giant pretzels.

[jayjay]

Originally Posted by Little Nemo

I don't think a list of the titles needs to be spoilered. I was counting the Brian Herbert/Kevin Anderson books, which I realize some people want to pretend don't exist. Personally, I've only read the first three books.

Oh. Those.

Plus there's The Dune Encyclopedia by Willis E. McNelly (1984), which is not considered "canon" and doesn't match the events of later published works

It WAS considered canon until The Son and his pet Hack started making shit up.

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

Originally Posted by jayjay

It WAS considered canon until The Son and his pet Hack started making shit up.

I treasure my volume of the encyclopedia. I guess they're sort of scarce.

[jayjay]

Originally Posted by Qadgop the Mercotan

I treasure my volume of the encyclopedia. I guess they're sort of scarce.

I actually went online to find a copy a few months ago. I'd had one way back in the very early 90s and I lost track of it somehow.

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

Originally Posted by jayjay

I actually went online to find a copy a few months ago. I'd had one way back in the very early 90s and I lost track of it somehow.

Did you find one? What did it run?

Oh, yeah. I'm enjoying the sandworm appearance in OOTS, too!