# Order of the Stick General Discussion Thread (Open Spoilers and Speculation) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 2, 2009, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096 "2009-02-02T07:39:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 71
**Author:** ![robertliguori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@robertliguori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robertliguori)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1401 "2009-05-30T12:29:30Z")
_grumbles_ There is a recently-deceased Str 33 Ancient black dragon that would disagree with Xykon on whether or not you can lose true power from failing saves or not. Of course, Xykon does have that most important buff spell, Protection Via Plot, running full-time. A shame it doesn’t work against dramatically pissed-off full-BAB types. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1402 "2009-05-30T12:50:20Z")
Are elves immune to the Lich’s paralysis? ---
**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 30, 2009, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1403 "2009-05-30T13:31:31Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Are elves immune to the Lich’s paralysis? As far as I know, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1404 "2009-05-30T14:18:35Z")
I think those who theorized that this part would end with the phylactery being _stolen_ as opposed to outright destroyed may have something here. OTOH, who knows what’ll happen in the merry chaos that’s about to follow. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1405 "2009-05-30T16:57:48Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Are elves immune to the Lich’s paralysis? No, they’re not. Two possibilities: 1. Xykon isn’t choosing to use his “paralyzing touch” attack at the moment (he has to actually choose to use it, simply touching someone isn’t enough) 2. V succeeded at his Fortitude save to resist the paralysis. ---
**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:** [May 30, 2009, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1406 "2009-05-30T20:07:46Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Are elves immune to the Lich’s paralysis? Just \*ghoul \* paralysis, AFAIK ---
**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 30, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1407 "2009-05-30T20:51:59Z")
Looking back, I see that everything since [625](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0625.html) has pretty much been continuous action. We’ve had thirty-three strips now that have essentially taken place in under an hour. Does this mean the strip is zipping along at high speed or has it slowed down to a crawl? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1408 "2009-05-30T20:52:03Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > 1. V succeeded at his Fortitude save to resist the paralysis. Bahaha! Nice joke. Heehee, a wizard succeeding at a Fort save, too funny… ---
**Author:** ![robertliguori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@robertliguori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robertliguori)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1409 "2009-05-30T20:58:38Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Bahaha! Nice joke. Heehee, a wizard succeeding at a Fort save, too funny… Hey, some wizards can reliably make Fort saves. You know, Dwarf wizards with their Con bonus and racial- Oh, yeah. Elf. Well, what kind of ability is it? If it’s a low-level spell, than- Oh, a Supernatural ability. That scales with the HD of the user. How many? Huh. OK, Fucking Lots divided by two…mmm. Well, it’s not like the user of the ability has an abnormally high Charisma score, is it? Yeah, Xykon’s killer-poke-of-death got O-Chul first try. V has no chance. Roy probably has no chance, come to that. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1410 "2009-05-30T21:01:56Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Just \*ghoul \* paralysis, AFAIK As V verified, waaaay back in [#107](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0107.html). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1411 "2009-05-30T21:24:22Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Bahaha! Nice joke. Heehee, a wizard succeeding at a Fort save, too funny… Hey, there’s a 20 on every die. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![robertliguori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@robertliguori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robertliguori)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1412 "2009-05-30T23:08:23Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Hey, there’s a 20 on every die. 😉 This is V. Someone filed all the ones-digits off of the double-digit numbers on V’s d20 during the last arc. ---
**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:** [May 31, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1413 "2009-05-31T00:18:51Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Hey, there’s a 20 on every die. 😉 Amen to that, and critical hits. My favorite Cleric got wa-a-a-y in over her head with a guy who never missed. By the third round she was down to about 20% of her Hp but rolled a 20, 19, 20 and dropped him. She grew very fond of that +3 _Staff of Striking._ Xykon’s amulet is mighty handy on his belt, there. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1414 "2009-05-31T00:56:56Z")
> [@robertliguori](#): > > This is V. > > Someone filed all the ones-digits off of the double-digit numbers on V’s d20 during the last arc. Vaarsuvius didn’t use another color crayon for those? ---
**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 31, 2009, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1415 "2009-05-31T11:08:55Z")
Just brainstorming here. But we’ve established that O-Chul understands the importance of the phylactery and now knows he is unable to destroy it by any means he has at hand. And it’s been established that O-Chul has befriended the CitD and the CitD has shown a readiness to eat virtually anything. Can you see where I’m going with this? O-Chul throws the phylactery to Monster-san and has him eat it. This way the phylactery may not be destroyed but it’s useless to Xykon - resurrecting inside the CitD’s stomach is not an option. (We’ll assume for the sake of argument that the CitD is something that Xykon is unable to kill and cut open to retrieve the phylactery.) This would also tie in Xykon’s hypnotic command. Now he’d have a motive for making Redcloak betray him just as a means of getting the CitD to spit out the phylactery. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1416 "2009-05-31T12:02:37Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > No, they’re not. Two possibilities: > > 1. Xykon isn’t choosing to use his “paralyzing touch” attack at the moment (he has to actually choose to use it, simply touching someone isn’t enough) > > 2. V succeeded at his Fortitude save to resist the paralysis. It’s 1. What the point of throttling someone with your bare hands if you don’t get to enjoy his struggles? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1417 "2009-05-31T13:21:40Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Can you see where I’m going with this? O-Chul throws the phylactery to Monster-san and has him eat it. This way the phylactery may not be destroyed but it’s useless to Xykon - resurrecting inside the CitD’s stomach is not an option. (We’ll assume for the sake of argument that the CitD is something that Xykon is unable to kill and cut open to retrieve the phylactery.) I think it’s safe to say they’d just wait for him to pass it or induce vomiting. They’ll probably find a few gold pieces and scrabble tiles in the process. ---
**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 31, 2009, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1418 "2009-05-31T14:07:03Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Just brainstorming here. But we’ve established that O-Chul understands the importance of the phylactery and now knows he is unable to destroy it by any means he has at hand. And it’s been established that O-Chul has befriended the CitD and the CitD has shown a readiness to eat virtually anything. > > Can you see where I’m going with this? O-Chul throws the phylactery to Monster-san and has him eat it. This way the phylactery may not be destroyed but it’s useless to Xykon - resurrecting inside the CitD’s stomach is not an option. (We’ll assume for the sake of argument that the CitD is something that Xykon is unable to kill and cut open to retrieve the phylactery.) > > This would also tie in Xykon’s hypnotic command. Now he’d have a motive for making Redcloak betray him just as a means of getting the CitD to spit out the phylactery. Or, maybe the CitD CAN destroy it, by biting down on it. “Here, chew on this morsel my friend !” \* CRUNCH \* ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1419 "2009-05-31T15:36:54Z")
> [@Just\_Some\_Guy](#): > > Vaarsuvius didn’t use another color crayon for those? 😃 Yes, there are a few of us here to whom that’s meaningful. ---
**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 31, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096/1420 "2009-05-31T21:01:03Z")
> [@](#): > > Yes, there are a few of us here to whom that’s meaningful. I’m not old enough of a grognard to have personal experience of those, but I do understand the reference. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096.md?page=70) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-general-discussion-thread-open-spoilers-and-speculation/484096.md?page=72)