# Order of the Stick - Book 5 Discussion Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 31, 2009, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323 "2009-08-31T04:09:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 109
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2161 "2011-05-27T05:17:10Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > No. Quite different. I’m not going to trawl the archives but I’m pretty certain that there is another scene somewhere where a fighter-type yells “Power attack”, and as in the strip you linked to is told the same thing. On the contrary, despite dozens of times where various rogueish people HAVE yelled “Sneak attack” nobody has yet told them they don’t need to. Well, if they don’t yell it, how do you know it’s a sneak attack or not? In [this strip](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0453.html), Hinjo is attacked by ninjas, from behind. Ninjas in D&D do have a sneak attack and it’s doubtful that they wouldn’t use it. So I’m thinking that this is an instance of a sneak attack where no one yells. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2162 "2011-05-27T07:00:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Ninjas in D&D do have a sneak attack and it’s doubtful that they wouldn’t use it. Technically, what ninjas have is a slightly inferior ability called Sudden Strike. But yeah, presumably, if ninjas don’t need to declare it, then neither do rogues. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2163 "2011-05-27T12:10:53Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Quoth **Kobal2** :Enhancement bonuses on missile weapons and ammunition don’t stack in 3.5. The bolts could have enhancements like Flaming or Shock on them, except we’d see special effects for that in the comic. And besides, magical ammunition like that is expensive even for a high-level character: Affordable, but something you’re going to save for important fights, not just some random housecat you’re chasing down for the fun of it. Heh, maybe I play with a Monty Haul DM, but magical arrows are definitely more plentiful than magical bows in that campaign. Our current party currently still has to find a magical bow (though we did find a low-STR composite shortbow and a mid-STR composite longbow, and my beloved returning dagger) but we must have something like 15 +1 arrows among us already. That being said, you’re right that he probably wouldn’t waste magical bolts on a random kitty. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2164 "2011-05-27T12:45:41Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Heh, maybe I play with a Monty Haul DM, but magical arrows are definitely more plentiful than magical bows in that campaign. Actually, it might mean your DM is a bit of a miser. Equipping enemies with single use items means they can do more damage to you (because not paying for infinite uses is less of a problem for a character that only exists for a single battle), and you get less benefit when you win (because they’ve already used up some of their treasure trying to kill you). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2165 "2011-05-27T17:02:00Z")
Yeah, 15 arrows isn’t very many at all. You’ll go through those in a single battle, and you can enchant arrows 50 at a time for the same cost as a single bow or other weapon. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2166 "2011-05-29T00:34:49Z")
[New comic](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0793.html). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2167 "2011-05-29T01:27:49Z")
Elan and Nale are both stupid, but Elan is a lot _better_ at being stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2168 "2011-05-29T01:35:07Z")
Alright. Stick cleavage. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2169 "2011-05-29T01:44:47Z")
With seven strips to go, any ideas on what the 800th strip will be? The death of Mr Scruffy? The climax of Roy and Thog’s fight? A cutaway to Xykon? The announcement of the new book being shipped? Another non-event strip? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2170 "2011-05-29T02:07:24Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > With seven strips to go, any ideas on what the 800th strip will be? > > The death of Mr Scruffy? The climax of Roy and Thog’s fight? A cutaway to Xykon? The announcement of the new book being shipped? Another non-event strip? Probably the latter, Burlew doesn’t like the “make every 100th strip special” idea. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2171 "2011-05-29T04:13:54Z")
You know, I never pictured Nale as the tanktop type. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2172 "2011-05-29T05:56:58Z")
> [@](#): > > Alright. Stick cleavage. It’s not like this is the first time we’ve seen cleavage (of the boob variety, not the kill-multiple-zombies-with-one-swing variety) in this strip. Lien has obvious cleavage, Haley sometimes does depending on what she’s wearing, and Julia displays cleavage when she’s trying to get someone’s attention. Er, not that I keep track, or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2173 "2011-05-29T07:24:56Z")
Every time I see a chick in chain mail, I think of **Chronos** , and I wonder if I should send him a link. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2174 "2011-05-29T08:17:57Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Every time I see a chick in chain mail, I think of **Chronos** , and I wonder if I should send him a link. Do that often enough, he could make his own suit out of them. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2175 "2011-05-29T18:23:51Z")
You could just start a compilation thread. I mean, it’s not like a fondness for such pictures is exactly what you’d call rare. ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2176 "2011-05-29T19:57:00Z")
So, who thinks that the festivities were designed to draw Nale out? Papa is smart enough to craft the whole affair in order to get to that end result. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2177 "2011-05-29T20:18:18Z")
> [@thinksnow](#): > > So, who thinks that the festivities were designed to draw Nale out? Papa is smart enough to craft the whole affair in order to get to that end result. If Tarquin had some reason to believe that Nale was alive and in the general area, then that’s definitely possible. But it’s not clear what basis he would have for those beliefs given what we’ve seen so far. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2178 "2011-05-29T21:20:42Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > If Tarquin had some reason to believe that Nale was alive and in the general area, then that’s definitely possible. But it’s not clear what basis he would have for those beliefs given what we’ve seen so far. Hello? Thog. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2179 "2011-05-29T21:26:29Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Hello? Thog. Point. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/2180 "2011-05-30T04:13:59Z")
And Elan. Tarquin’s genre-savvy enough (and not-willfully-ignorant enough) to realize that if Elan cropped up, then Nale was likely to as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323.md?page=108) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323.md?page=110)