# Order of the Stick book 7 discussion thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-strips\ **Created:** [February 3, 2020, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438 "2020-02-03T17:48:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 135
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2684 "2026-08-09T19:41:50Z")
Missed this earlier - any ideas what Sunny is saying? ---
**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:** [August 9, 2026, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2685 "2026-08-09T19:48:01Z")
They’re saying “Nnn uhtnk om… strntin t t full… bnttr…”. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2686 "2026-08-09T20:04:58Z")
“I think I’m starting to feel better”? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2687 "2026-08-09T20:06:55Z")
Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2688 "2026-08-10T13:26:17Z")
> **[1348 Fading Odds - Giant in the Playground Games](https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1348.html)** ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2689 "2026-08-10T13:32:58Z")
Oh, _that’s_ where she went. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2690 "2026-08-10T16:52:02Z")
Long ago in an old-school campaign I had an elven fighter-mage specializing in bow. When he wanted to learn _magic missile_ he got a bad roll and couldn’t. Bummed out – you know how important MM is for a young mage – I studied the PHB and noticed the damage and number of shots from a bow per level were identical with MM. I think it’s different now with 5e. So I proposed to the DM doing spell research for a bow charm. When it was active any arrow would strike what he was aiming at so long as it was in range. The research was successful and he started using the spell as a substitute for MM. One thing neither of us had considered was that the magic was in the bow, not the arrow, so the arrow would strike home just fine inside an anti-magic shell. That really came in handy one time during the campaign. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2026, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2691 "2026-08-10T21:42:13Z")
Hmm.. in the anti-magic field, Haley’s arrows are just plain arrows, no boost from being ice-blast (or whatever it’s called). On the other hand, Nale loses his fast healing and other powers. Haley still gets additional damage from sneak attack, so at least that first strike was very damaging. ---
**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:** [August 11, 2026, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2692 "2026-08-11T02:02:08Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Haley still gets additional damage from sneak attack, so at least that first strike was very damaging. I think they’re still working under 3.5 rules, which means every attack is sneak attack. If she’s, what, 15th level? then she’s doing 1d6+8d6+Dex damage on each of four arrows. Assuming her dex is at least 20, that’s about 36 points of damage for each hit, close to 150 damage total. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2693 "2026-08-11T02:11:08Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > I think they’re still working under 3.5 rules, which means every attack is sneak attack. I looked up the rules about sneak attack and I thought it said it only applies if the target is not expecting the attack. Pretty sure these were 3.5 rules. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Assuming her dex is at least 20, that’s about 36 points of damage for each hit, close to 150 damage total. A couple people on the GitP board calculated about 130 total, but I think they used a lower Dex score. ---
**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:** [August 11, 2026, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2694 "2026-08-11T02:16:56Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > I looked up the rules about sneak attack and I thought it said it only applies if the target is not expecting the attack. Pretty sure these were 3.5 rules. Those arrows all appear to hit simultaneously, using [manyshot](https://dndtools.org/feats/players-handbook-v35--6/manyshot--1846/) or some such feat. In any case, I think the rules were ambiguous whether all a rogue’s attacks on a round where they were hidden were sneaky, or just the first. Rule of cool leads to them all being sneaky here. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2695 "2026-08-11T02:24:29Z")
I think narrativium powers them, and she just did a lot of damage. ---
**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:** [August 11, 2026, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2696 "2026-08-11T02:29:54Z")
Definitely true–but also Rich seems to spend a lot of time thinking the rules through before he decides which ones to ignore, and that’s part of the fun of the comic for me. Someone on the OOTS forum pointed out that Nale was grappling Serina, and in the olden days, grappling someone meant you were flatfooted against everyone else, which both enables sneak attacks and makes them much easier to hit. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2697 "2026-08-11T02:40:59Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Those arrows all appear to hit simultaneously, using [manyshot](https://dndtools.org/feats/players-handbook-v35--6/manyshot--1846/) or some such feat. In any case, I think the rules were ambiguous whether all a rogue’s attacks on a round where they were hidden were sneaky, or just the first. Rule of cool leads to them all being sneaky here. Oh sure, I expect those 4 are all sneak attacks, but the next time she shoots him, it likely won’t be unless he gets distracted or something. ETA: Or maybe O-Chul can hit him with a flanking attack. Does Nale even have a melee weapon? ---
**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:** [August 11, 2026, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2698 "2026-08-11T03:04:13Z")
The difference is in the dex. In 3.5 rules, you don’t get Dex to damage. Well, there are ways to get it (there’s ways to do most everything in those rules), but it’s not the default. Also by the rules, Manyshot doesn’t ordinarily apply Sneak Attack to all of the arrows… unless you also take Greater Manyshot, which does. And which Haley, as an archer rogue, probably did. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2699 "2026-08-11T03:09:18Z")
I’m sure she took greater manyshot. But how much damage can arrows do to a demon? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2700 "2026-08-11T03:28:34Z")
Good question. I find myself wondering how much of his strength and resistance was due to magical buffs, and how much this could hurt. Also, are there any non-magical materials that could hurt him more, like maybe silver? ---
**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:** [August 11, 2026, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2701 "2026-08-11T03:41:43Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > she’s doing 1d6+8d6+Dex damage 1d6 + 8d6. Isn’t that 9d6? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2026, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2702 "2026-08-11T04:10:10Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Also, are there any non-magical materials that could hurt him more, like maybe silver? Does Haley know whether he is a demon or a devil and can she remember which needs cold iron and which needs silver? ---
**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:** [August 11, 2026, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438/2703 "2026-08-11T10:53:36Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Good question. I find myself wondering how much of his strength and resistance was due to magical buffs, and how much this could hurt. > > Also, are there any non-magical materials that could hurt him more, like maybe silver? AIUI, damage reduction that’s overcome by materials is supernatural, meaning it’d go away in an antimagic field. > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > 1d6 + 8d6. Isn’t that 9d6? It is–but the 1d6 is the base damage from the arrow, and the 8d6 is the sneak-attack damage, so I listed them separately. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438.md?page=134) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-7-discussion-thread/847438.md?page=136)