# 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:** 407
**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:** [November 20, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8122 "2013-11-20T17:36:00Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > But besides, what he did was impulsive, sure - but is impulsiveness a sign of low wisdom? Blowing up the castle you’re inside of? Yes, I’d say that qualifies as a low wisdom decision. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8123 "2013-11-20T19:15:04Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Blowing up the castle you’re inside of? Yes, I’d say that qualifies as a low wisdom decision. Haha, well put. ETA: I should have said that “…Elan’s genre savviness is for the most part a side-effect of his charisma” and _being a bard._ ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8124 "2013-11-20T19:51:06Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Blowing up the castle you’re inside of? Yes, I’d say that qualifies as a low wisdom decision. Gotta disagree. Look at the very next strip: the castle explodes, and _by sheer genre-savviness_ Elan knows the theatrics of making it to safety; he thinks the key is acting like 007 when setting a Bond villain’s lair to “self-destruct” on the way to a graceful exit, and he’s _not wrong_. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8125 "2013-11-20T19:58:51Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Gotta disagree. > > Look at the very next strip: the castle explodes, and _by sheer genre-savviness_ Elan knows the theatrics of making it to safety; he thinks the key is acting like 007 when setting a Bond villain’s lair to “self-destruct” on the way to a graceful exit, and he’s _not wrong_. Genre-savviness, yes. Wisdom, uh, no. The wise choice is to realize that too many things could go wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8126 "2013-11-20T20:03:59Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > Genre-savviness, yes. Wisdom, uh, no. The wise choice is to realize that too many things could go wrong. That’s the cautious choice, not necessarily the wise choice. And if we’re gonna go cautious-choices, there’s no such thing as a high-wisdom person who makes a living robbing tombs that are guarded by level-draining undead creatures. The high-wisdom people stay at home making macrame plant holders. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8127 "2013-11-20T20:21:09Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > Genre-savviness, yes. Wisdom, uh, no. The wise choice is to realize that too many things could go wrong. But he’s also genre-savvy enough to know that ridiculously over-complicated plans are never foiled due to believable logistical failures. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8128 "2013-11-20T20:36:07Z")
Everyone knows a hundred to one is impossible but a million to one is a sure thing! ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8129 "2013-11-20T20:39:59Z")
I thought it was that one in a million chances crop up nine times out of ten. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8130 "2013-11-20T20:55:55Z")
That’s Terry Pratchett, and RB has never read TP’s books. ---
**Author:** ![Strassia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@Strassia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strassia)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8131 "2013-11-20T23:11:07Z")
[New strip (932)!](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0932.html) Looks like we know how they are going to get to the next gate. ETA: Durkon’s bat beard is hilarious. ---
**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:** [November 20, 2013, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8132 "2013-11-20T23:17:27Z")
I like the callback to the strong therapod role model. ---
**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:** [November 21, 2013, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8133 "2013-11-21T01:06:19Z")
The end is near for Belkar. He’s concerned about yet another critter’s well-being. Or maybe he has just landed a few contracts posing for heavy metal album covers, and he doesn’t want to break in a new lizard. Dino. Whatever. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8134 "2013-11-21T01:11:41Z")
Man, when my daughter gets home and sees this, she’s going to be so impressed at how sweet Belkar is being. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8135 "2013-11-21T01:28:15Z")
Well now we know a little of the backstory between Tarq-daddy an Julio. I’ve a question, what happened to Belker’s pet dino? At some point will the spell or effect wear off and it will revert to full size? I see that as a very bad thing on an airship. **mumble mumble** all this time I really thought they were somehow going through the rift anyways. Maybe the airship will be forced to fly into it? Maybe just maybe. I so want one prediction of mine from when this all started to come true… ---
**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:** [November 21, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8136 "2013-11-21T01:41:50Z")
> [@Mr.Goob](#): > > I’ve a question, what happened to Belker’s pet dino? At some point will the spell or effect wear off and it will revert to full size? I see that as a very bad thing on an airship. It’s a [permanent spell](http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/balefulPolymorph.htm) I believe. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8137 "2013-11-21T02:01:24Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > It’s a [permanent spell](http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/balefulPolymorph.htm) I believe. Which, of course, means it can be dispelled (or otherwise negated) at some critical (or hilarious) moment. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8138 "2013-11-21T02:16:17Z")
So I had a thought today. Everyone seems to think that the final blowoff will come between Xykon and Roy. But narratively, the character with the most demand on a final showdown with Xykon - and who has earned it most, AND who is arguably the best character in the entire strip - is O-Chul. I’m figuring that the final blow for good against Xykon will come from the bald tougher-than-black-holes paladin from the south. It would satisfy a lot of narrative issues. ---
**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:** [November 21, 2013, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8139 "2013-11-21T03:00:43Z")
Burlew has said that O-Chul still has a role to play in the story. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8140 "2013-11-21T03:30:15Z")
Narratively speaking, it would seem Julio’s survival odds should go way up if he’s part of a daring rescue versus a fight to the end with a major villain. ---
**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:** [November 21, 2013, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323/8141 "2013-11-21T03:42:39Z")
> [@Mr.Goob](#): > > Well now we know a little of the backstory between Tarq-daddy an Julio. We know that Julio is out for \*massive \*spite. A Chaos weapon ? That’s as close to “no, no, good sir, I said fuck _you_” as it gets against Tarqin. I mean, he could have brought a holy blade which would have been good against all evildoers but no, he had to go for the much more limited anti-lawful weapon that, for example, would have done jack squat to Malack. That’s some dedication. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323.md?page=406) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-5-discussion-thread/508323.md?page=408)