| 1 | %% When referring to Vaarsuvius (or other elves), as it is with all cases of AmbiguousGender, the grammatically correct pronoun is "they". |
| 2 | |
| 3 | TheOrderOfTheStick/TropesAToC | TheOrderOfTheStick/TropesDToF | TheOrderOfTheStick/TropesGToI | TheOrderOfTheStick/TropesJToL | TheOrderOfTheStick/TropesMToO | TheOrderOfTheStick/TropesPToR | '''Tropes S to U''' | TheOrderOfTheStick/TropesVToZ |
| 4 | ---- |
| 5 | !!!''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' provides examples of the following tropes: |
| 6 | |
| 7 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 8 | |
| 9 | [[folder:S]] |
| 10 | * SadlyMythtaken: Shojo calls Demeter "gentle". Hoo boy, Demeter was anything but a ''gentle'' Greek goddess. |
| 11 | * SandWorm: A purple worm in the desert, complete with very blatant shout-outs to ''Franchise/{{Dune}}''. |
| 12 | * SarcasmMode: Vaarsuvius acts openly sarcastic when Belkar tries to convince V that [[spoiler:Vampire Durkon]] is evil because he tried to kill Belkar. |
| 13 | -->'''Belkar:''' I just told you that he tried to ''kill'' me!\ |
| 14 | '''Vaarsuvius:''' Oh my, what a completely unprecedented reaction to spending more than ten minutes in your company. |
| 15 | * SavedByTheCoffin: In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0900.html #900]], the heroes use the coffin of [[spoiler:Girard Draketooth]] to survive the explosion created by [[spoiler:Girard's Gate being destroyed]]. |
| 16 | * SaveTheWorldClimax: The first arc of the story concerns the Order carrying out a standard dungeon crawl in order to defeat a lich. Then the next arc reveals that within the dungeon was a gate to a prison dimension where a world-destroying EldritchAbomination is kept, and the lich was planning to use the gate for nefarious ends. The rest of the story concerns the Order's efforts to keep the other gates from being used for evil, so that the abomination isn't set free to destroy the world. |
| 17 | * SaveTheVillain: |
| 18 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0069.html Elan to Nale.]] |
| 19 | ** Much later, [[spoiler:Tarquin assumes Elan will do it for him. Elan tells him all about what happened with Nale, and why he's not going to fall for the same thing again... and leaves Tarquin to fall (knowing it won't be fatal anyway).]] |
| 20 | %% |
| 21 | %% Schedule Slip is trivia and go in the Trivia tab. |
| 22 | %% |
| 23 | * SchizoTech: Although the general technological level of the world is supposed to fit with the average ''D&D'' medieval campaign (with sometimes a bit of SteamPunk, like with the airships), you see plenty of anachronistic modern appliances, usually for a one-panel joke. Some examples: |
| 24 | ** Xykon's crystal ball has [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0047.html picture in picture]]. |
| 25 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0023.html flashlight]] |
| 26 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0053.html cell]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0903.html phones]] |
| 27 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0081.html coffee]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0317.html maker]] |
| 28 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0258.html vinyl disk]] |
| 29 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0260.html video games]] |
| 30 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0278.html hair dryer]] (although this is a follow-up to an AnimatedActors gag in the previous strip) |
| 31 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0257.html rocket skates, and later business cards]] (these are everywhere) |
| 32 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0487.html computer]] (though this one is in the afterlife...) |
| 33 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0562.html A package from Amazon]] with the ''D&D'' Fourth Edition core books. |
| 34 | ** A [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0664.html limousine]]. With a minibar. (Also in the afterlife.) |
| 35 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0687.html Gas stations]] for camels, and shortly thereafter a [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0692.html metal detector.]] |
| 36 | ** Conspicuously averted when they're [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0690.html navigating the sandworm]] -- Roy has a quadrant, but Durkon has to magically conjure an image of a pocketwatch. Suggests, as do many of the other examples, that magic is allowed to do anachronistic things but mundane technology isn't ([[RuleOfFunny unless it's funny]]). |
| 37 | ** THERMAL DETONATOR... or [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0724.html can of tomato soup]] |
| 38 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0739.html "Macebook"]] |
| 39 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0755.html microphones]] |
| 40 | * ScrewTheMoneyThisIsPersonal: When the ThievesGuild leader Bozzok is [[spoiler:being attacked by his own FleshGolem]], he first orders Grubwiggler the wizard to help him, then desperately tries to buy his aid. Grubwiggler, tired of the guild's intrigues constantly interfering with his magical research, [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0980.html coldly refuses]] and leaves him to [[spoiler:be brutally killed.]] |
| 41 | -->'''Bozzok:''' I'll pay you double! Triple!\ |
| 42 | '''Grubwiggler:''' Farewell, Bozzok. You were never as clever as you thought you were. |
| 43 | * ScrewTheRulesTheyreNotReal: |
| 44 | ** A lawyer [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0230.html attempts]] to serve Belkar with a restraining order, failing to consider either his [[TokenEvilTeammate long criminal history]] or his InUniverse CharacterAlignment. |
| 45 | --->'''Belkar:''' --oh! Wait. You seem to have made a mistake right here.\ |
| 46 | '''Mr. Rodriguez:''' Aw man! What's the mistake?\ |
| 47 | '''Belkar:''' I'm {{Chaotic|Evil}}. ''[draws his knives]'' |
| 48 | ** Linear Guild wizard Zz'dtri optimized his entire build specifically to defeat the Order of the Stick's Vaarsuvius. So Vaarsuvius [[spoiler:uses a MindControl spell on Yukyuk and orders him to fill Zz'dtri with crossbow bolts]]. At zero HitPoints, Zz'dtri calls Vaarsuvius "cheater". Vaarsuvius replies with trademark [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness loquacious]] [[DeadpanSnarker sarcasm]]: |
| 49 | --->'''Vaarsuvius:''' [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0802.html Oh, heavens! I cannot believe I violated the detailed rules and regulations we agreed upon before beginning this contest. We must consult the referee for an appropriate penalty regarding my heinous transgression!]] |
| 50 | ** [[spoiler:After Durkon destroys the table that the Council of Clans were using to hold their meeting, the vampire controlling Gontor Hammerfell tries to kill Sigdi because the law-runes won't prevent him from doing it any more. Sigdi basically tells him that that rule goes both ways, and if it no longer exists for him, it no longer does for the heroes. Her extended family arrives in time to kill "Gontor", as no law means he's no longer safe.]] |
| 51 | --->'''Sigdi:''' '''''Argch...''''' funny thing aboot... tha law... Nothin' left ta bind ye... means nothin' left ta hide behind. |
| 52 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: |
| 53 | ** Blackwing pulls this when Vaarsuvius tries to use him as a distraction [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0440.html against a Death Knight]]. |
| 54 | ** Most of the Azurite soldiers guarding the breach decide to desert when they see that [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0452.html the whole hobgoblin army, led by Redcloak, is charging at them.]] As does [[spoiler:Vaarsuvius, due to running out of spells (with the exception of Invisibility)]]. |
| 55 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0618.html It later dawns on a thief]] that AttackAttackAttack has its limits. |
| 56 | --->'''Female Thief:''' Screw this! I've only got 14 hit points! |
| 57 | ** The Piscodaemon summoned by Zzd'tri to fight the Order of the Stick [[spoiler:calls it a day when hit by the drow's corpse]]. Along with a comment using the "Miskatonic" font. |
| 58 | --->'''Piscodaemon:''' [[spoiler:If the boss is dead, I'm punching out early.]] |
| 59 | ** [[spoiler:Miron Shewdanker]] has a perpetual ScrewThisImOuttaHere contingency spell cast on himself; any time his health is depleted below a certain level, he's automatically teleported away whether he wants to or not. |
| 60 | ** [[spoiler:His colleague Laurin]] follows his lead after Vaarsuvius [[spoiler:calmly points out just how much more magic they have at their disposal than she does.]] |
| 61 | * ScrewYouElves: Laurin Shattersmith has [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0935.html some choice words on the subject]]. |
| 62 | * SdrawkcabName: |
| 63 | ** Nale and Elan, of course. This causes problems whenever Elan tries to avoid getting blamed for Nale's actions; people don't tend to buy the argument, "My evil twin with a name that resembles mine did it." |
| 64 | ** Also Roy and another single-class fighter, [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0604.html Yor]]. Roy takes pains to avoid the DumbMuscle stereotype, favoring [[GeniusBruiser skill]] over simple pummeling, whereas Yor plays it straight and [[LargeHam milks it for all it's worth]]. |
| 65 | ** Among the many nickname suggestions for the vampire [[spoiler:that was once Durkon is "Nokrud"]]. |
| 66 | * SecretTestOfCharacter: [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0981.html #981]] has Haley asking what Golem Crystal what she intends to do now that Bozzok is dead. Haley gives not-so-subtle hints that she should leave Gnometown and find a quest or something to do. Golem Crystal states she'll stick around and just kill gnomes. Despite despising her, Haley ''was'' giving Crystal a chance to live, but she utterly failed that test, ending with her taking a fatal lava bath. |
| 67 | * SeductionProofMarriage: Elan tries to escape from prison by creating an illusion of a beautiful woman. Unfortunately, one of his guards is [[SorryImGay gay]] and the other one is married. |
| 68 | * SeekingUltimateStrength: The [[SmugSuper arrogant]] elf wizard Vaarsuvius is adventuring in hopes of gaining "ultimate arcane power", believing that magic trumps anything else. This pride turns out to be their FatalFlaw, and after a BreakTheHaughty arc where they [[spoiler:unleash a FantasticNuke with terrible collateral damage]], they become TheAtoner and dial back their ambitions. |
| 69 | * SelfDeprecation: |
| 70 | ** Elan about the good twin saying, "Shoot us both". [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0397.html "That's such a cliché, even for this comic!"]] Fortunately, [[spoiler:Nale can't take insults to his ego]]. |
| 71 | ** ''Start of Darkness'' has two prefaces. One by the author who laments that the story ends with the bad guys winning (it's a prequel, foregone conclusion) and the other by [[LawfulStupid Miko]], who says, despite never having read the story, that because Evil creatures are presented as being more than just their alignment and don't get punished in the end, the author must be a depraved monster himself. |
| 72 | ** The preface for ''On the Origin of [=PCs=]'' has Redcloak calling the punny title "dreadful". |
| 73 | ** The acid-breathing shark in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0541.html strip #541]] causes one of the demon roaches to quip "They'll let any old hack write a sourcebook these days." Rich created an Acidborn Shark as part of a ''D&D'' sourcebook called ''Dungeonscape''. |
| 74 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0959.html #959:]] |
| 75 | --->'''Bandana:''' But hey, I for-reals appreciate you tryin' to do the big-sister-bonding thing anyway.\ |
| 76 | '''Haley:''' Well, historically speaking, it was either that, or we try to murder each other while hurling offensively gender-charged insults.\ |
| 77 | '''Bandana:''' Geez, that sounds terrible.\ |
| 78 | '''Haley:''' Like dungeon delving with a bare midriff, all I can say is that it seemed like a good idea at the time. [[note]]Haley had a bit of a recurring pattern in the earlier comics of ending up [[DesignatedGirlFight fighting female antagonists]] while trading {{gendered insult}}s with them. The midriff part should be self-explanatory.[[/note]] |
| 79 | ** In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1138.html #1138]]: |
| 80 | --->'''Minrah:''' Oh, sorry, I don't really read comics.\ |
| 81 | '''Thor:''' He, you're not missing much. |
| 82 | ** And [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1140.html #1140]]: |
| 83 | --->'''Thor:''' I mean, obviously we were scraping the bottom of the idea barrel when we came up with "self-aware stick figure fantasy parody." |
| 84 | * SelfFulfillingProphecy: |
| 85 | ** The one given to Belkar. To wit: he wanted to know if he would end up ''causing the death of'' any of the following: Roy, Miko, Miko's horse, Vaarsuvius or the Oracle himself. The answer is "[[MathematiciansAnswer Yes]]", because, as we see later, the Oracle pulls a questionable ExactWords interpretation on him so Belkar kills the Oracle out of pure annoyance. |
| 86 | ** Durkon is unknowingly the target of an SFP. After receiving a prophecy that Durkon returning home would lead to "death and destruction," the High Priest of Odin told the High Priest of Thor to exile Durkon. If he hadn't done so, then Durkon would never have [[spoiler:been turned into a vampire, whereupon he returns to the Dwarven homeland bringing death and potentially the destruction of the world.]] The priests even [[DiscussedTrope discuss this]] in the prequel, pointing out that you can't actually "return" to a place until you leave it, so in effect they actively played a role in fulfilling the prophecy by trying to prevent it. |
| 87 | * SenselessSacrifice: {{Discussed|Trope}} in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1022.html #1022]]. Roy suggests attacking the High Priestess of Hel, knowing it would probably get him killed by Hel's allies, because it would stop Hel's plan, then immediately rejects it because even if the world is saved from Hel, [[VetinariJobSecurity without Roy the Order of the Stick would fall apart]] and Xykon's plan would continue unhindered. |
| 88 | --> '''Roy:''' Recent lesson connected to that "dying" thing: Noble sacrifices only make sense when they solve the problem at hand. |
| 89 | * SentencedWithoutTrial: |
| 90 | ** Lord Shojo gives Belkar an off-the-books summary judgement and unorthodox RestrainingBolt sentence for manslaughter in order to [[RecruitingTheCriminal recruit him as a secret agent]]. |
| 91 | ** Shojo's successor Hinjo exploits this when ''he'' recruits Belkar, observing that because Shojo didn't follow the legal system, Hinjo is under no obligation to have Belkar's curse removed when his sentence is complete. |
| 92 | * SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Vaarsuvius, such as in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0344.html "A Walk in the Park"]]. In ''On the Origin of [=PCs=]'', we have this exchange between Vaarsuvius and Roy: |
| 93 | -->'''Vaarsuvius:''' Bah!! You are clearly only hiring me because I intimidated you intellectually, to the point where your masculine pride requires you to establish your dominance over my superior mind.\ |
| 94 | '''Roy:''' Maybe. Or maybe I'm hiring you because I require the creation of a managed spherical energy release with a thermal signature no less than 1850° Kelvin, which can be manifested at specific X, Y, and Z coordinates from verbal cues. I require this specific temperature because it is the minimum level at which necrotized epidermis has been proven to combust and I have reason to believe that my mission will require the incapacitation of multiple post-organic hostiles.\ |
| 95 | '''Vaarsuvius:''' So... you need Fireball spells to toast the undead you expect to fight?\ |
| 96 | '''Roy:''' Did I stutter?\ |
| 97 | '''Vaarsuvius:''' A pleasure to serve under you, sir.\ |
| 98 | '''Roy:''' Welcome aboard. Now get me a new table. |
| 99 | * SequelHook: Played with in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0938.html strip #938]]. Tellingly, the title of the strip is [[DefiedTrope "This is Not a Thing That Is Going to Happen."]] |
| 100 | -->'''Roy:''' You're mentally workshopping sequel titles, aren't you?\ |
| 101 | '''Elan:''' [[LampshadeHanging I'm leaning]] [[ShoutOut toward]] [[Film/DieHard2 "Order of the Stick 2: Order Stickier"]]! |
| 102 | * ServileSnarker: Tarquin, of all people, when he agrees to let Nale [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0856.html lead the team]] as a test of his ability. |
| 103 | -->'''Tarquin:''' ''[bowing]'' As you command, fair leader!\ |
| 104 | '''Nale:''' And cut out the fake servility.\ |
| 105 | '''Tarquin:''' By your will, it shall be so! |
| 106 | * SeveredHeadSports: [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0075.html Belkar shoots... he scores!]] |
| 107 | * SexyBacklessOutfit: Sabine's usual outfit, and Celia's dress for the new year in Azure City. In both cases, this allows them to [[WingedHumanoid unfurl their wings]]. |
| 108 | * ShadowWalker: Parodied. When a Shadowdancer shows up, his powers are mostly useless because [[StylisticSelfParody the comic doesn't have shading]]. [[spoiler:He and his partner are [[ChekhovsSkill later]] able to escape because an explosion is dramatic enough to warrant a shadow as they flee from it]]. |
| 109 | * ShamefulSourceOfKnowledge: Vaarsuvius learned how to defeat Laurin while bound and gagged in hell. They were in hell because they "rented" their soul to three fiends. |
| 110 | * ShapedLikeItself: |
| 111 | ** Most place names in the comic are either this trope or ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, if not both: |
| 112 | *** The Wooden Forest |
| 113 | *** The Sunken Valley |
| 114 | *** The Zenith Peak |
| 115 | *** The Rupture Ravine |
| 116 | *** Fissure Gap & Passage Pass |
| 117 | ** Elan tells Haley he would like to see her come back from a dangerous fight "in one big Haley-shaped piece." [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0387.html Earlier]], he also describes her as "Haleyish". |
| 118 | ** When [[BigBad Xykon]] gives a [[EvilGloating lecture]] about the nature of true power, he says that spells don't equal power, but: "You know what does equal power? Power. Power equals power. Crazy, huh?" The point is about the difference between having real power and only pretending to. ("But the type of power? Doesn't matter as much as you'd think.") |
| 119 | ** A line from the mentally unstable Crystal: |
| 120 | --->'''Crystal:''' Our thieves are only allowed to steal from the people that our thieves are allowed to steal from!\ |
| 121 | '''Bozzok:''' My employee's circular logic notwithstanding, she is correct. |
| 122 | * ShapeshiftingSquick: Nale and Sabine. |
| 123 | * ShockAndAwe: |
| 124 | ** Thor, of course. |
| 125 | ** Lightning spells are favored by Vaarsuvius, Durkon, Zz'dtri and Xykon. |
| 126 | ** Also a natural power for Celia. |
| 127 | ** Enor, being half-blue dragon, can [[BreathWeapon breathe lightning]]. |
| 128 | * ShooOutTheClowns: |
| 129 | ** The departure of Team Evil to the Astral Plane has Jirix the hobgoblin casually stepping on one of the [[GreekChorus Demon-Roaches.]] They come back, but it made a clear point. |
| 130 | ** After Tarquin [[spoiler:kills Nale]], he lampshades this; [[spoiler:"He was never more than a B-list recurring villain and frankly, Elan's outgrown him."]] |
| 131 | * ShootTheBuilder: {{Downplayed}} example -- the craftsman who [[spoiler:made a perfect duplicate of Xykon's phylactery]] for Redcloak is actually killed by [[spoiler:Tsukiko]] as unrelated collateral damage. However, after Redcloak sincerely pays his respects to the dead hobgoblin for doing such a masterful job, he... [[DisposingOfABody disintegrates the corpse]] rather than raising him from the dead as he easily could. It's left ambiguous whether he would have kept the guy alive if he'd found him that way -- he would be [[HaveYouToldAnyoneElse the only other person to know]] about an ''extremely'' delicate and dangerous secret, after all, and Redcloak had commented only minutes earlier that he was glad another goblin who [[HeKnowsTooMuch Knew Too Much]] had died at someone else's hands instead of his. |
| 132 | * ShoutOut: Lots of them, [[ShoutOut/TheOrderOfTheStick now having their own subpage.]] |
| 133 | * ShownTheirWork: Rich Burlew shows his TabletopGame/{{Go}} research in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0651.html "Two Eyes in the Dark"]]. |
| 134 | * ShuttingUpNow: |
| 135 | ** [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0356.html #356]]: villainous lackey Pompey is cheering on the death of the police force when [[TheBigGuy Roy]] steps up behind him. |
| 136 | --->'''Pompey:''' [[ImplausibleDeniability You know, technically, I'm just an innocent victim here.]]\ |
| 137 | '''Roy:''' Shut up.\ |
| 138 | '''Pompey:''' Shutting up, yessir. |
| 139 | ** And again in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1256.html #1256]]: The heroes are trying to win Serini Toormuck over to their side by agreeing with her that the gods are basically selfish {{jerkass}}es. Their [[ThePaladin paladin teammate Lien]] keeps disagreeing that the gods are good. Then she realizes that she's [[NotHelpingYourCase not helping]]: |
| 140 | --->'''Lien:''' I'm just realizing that it helps us if you agree with what's-his-name so I'm going to be shutting up now. |
| 141 | * ShutUpAndSaveMe: |
| 142 | ** Early on, when Roy is assaulted by a mind flayer, the other party members just stand there dumbfounded while Vaarsuvius rants furiously that they should be the one attacked, having the highest intelligence score. |
| 143 | --->'''Roy:''' A little help here? No, seriously, guys. |
| 144 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/GuestStrips.html In a filler strip]], Belkar (while floating inside a [[BlobMonster Gelatinous Cube]]) to Roy and Haley. |
| 145 | --->'''Belkar:''' Less talk, more slashing damage. |
| 146 | * ShutUpHannibal: |
| 147 | ** Elan gets his own back in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0061.html strip #61]], interrupting [[spoiler:his evil twin]]'s TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. |
| 148 | --->'''[[spoiler: Nale]]:''' I gave you a chance to join me. But you'd rather stay with these fools? Well, I can't very well allow you to continue breathing after an insult like that, now, can I? Because no one denies me, Elan. Not father, not you, no one.\ |
| 149 | '''Elan:''' Deny. Deny. Deny! ♪Deny the psychopathic egomaniac!♪ |
| 150 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0595.html Strip #595]], Daimyo Kubota's discussion of how he plans to escape responsibility for yet another attack on the surviving Azurites is interrupted by Vaarsuvius: [[spoiler:"Disintegrate. Gust of Wind. Now can we PLEASE resume saving the world?"]] Made somewhat disturbing though by the next comic, which reveals [[spoiler:V ''didn't even know who Kubota was''. V simply disintegrated him because Elan had him tied up, so V assumed (correctly) that he was a villain]]. |
| 151 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0636.html "Disjunction. Quickened Disintegrate."]] Oh, ''[[OhCrap crap.]]'' And this ''disjunction'' is the first real glimpse of ''how'' powerful V became under the [[spoiler:Soul Splice]]. It only has a 1% chance per caster level of breaking an AntiMagic Field, and [[WordOfDante the Class and Level Geekery thread estimates]] that V by themself is about level 14-15 based on the spells they've cast alone. But with [[spoiler:three Epic-level souls spliced on (one of which was very likely ''higher level than [[BigBad Xykon]]'')]], V's effective caster level was somewhere close to 100, which in ''D&D'' terms is ''insane''. |
| 152 | ** Durkon tells [[spoiler:the High Priest of Hel]] that, while it is true the worst day of his life sucked, he did not let it define him. |
| 153 | --->'''Durkon:''' Thar's na much ta explain. Ye told me b'fore tha ye are who ye are on tha worst day o' yer life. An' tha's true. Tha's 100% true. But ye know who else ye are? Ye are who ye are on tha ''next'' day. [...] My mother turned tha worst thing tha could ev'r happen ta anyone inta the best thing tha could happen ta anyone. Ta ''five'' anyones. An' I turned tha worst thing ta happen ta ''me'' inta savin' tha world from people like ye. |
| 154 | ** In [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1210.html Strip #1210]], Redcloak, [[spoiler:having rejected Durkon's proposal, tries to kill him with Implosion]], and asks him how many goblin lives Durkon has personally ended. Durkon, [[spoiler:despite being in extreme pain]], simply says, "Na as many as '''ye'''." Redcloak, who'd sacrificed so many of his kin to his EvilPlan that [[SunkCostFallacy he refuses to accept any alternatives, no matter how feasible]], is ''furious'', giving Durkon a DeathGlare. |
| 155 | ** In [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1302.html strip #1302]], Calder the red dragon is in the middle of an angry AGodIAm rant toward the Order of the Stick, which Belkar interrupts with a well-placed dagger throw into his eyebrow. |
| 156 | --->'''Belkar:''' Yeah, and we've interrupted better villain speech than yours. |
| 157 | * ShutUpKirk: |
| 158 | ** The newly lichified Xykon from ''The Order of the Stick [[{{Prequel}} -1:]] [[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickStartOfDarkness Start of Darkness]]'' delivers a most glorious one to the elven druid Lirian at the climax of their battle: |
| 159 | --->'''Lirian:''' You may defeat me, you may even kill me, but you will never succeed in releasing the Snarl.\ |
| 160 | '''Xykon:''' Blah blah blah evil will never win blah blah. |
| 161 | ** And then there's [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0796.html Thog vs. Roy]]. |
| 162 | --->'''Roy:''' I surrender...\ |
| 163 | '''Thog: STOP TALKING!''' ''*thud!*'' |
| 164 | * ShutUpScaryThing: Belkar's statement to a monster while trying to get the Exarch's host to overthrow the vampire controlling him: |
| 165 | -->'''Belkar:''' Did I ask you, Giant Death Worm? I was obviously talking to [[ItMakesSenseInContext the miniature version of himself that's tied up in his own head!]] |
| 166 | * SideBet: |
| 167 | ** During Xykon and Redcloak's invasion of Azure City, Belkar cuts a side bet with one of the archers that Roy will be stupid enough to jump off the castle parapet to get to Xykon and his zombie dragon mount. Belkar being Belkar, he then proceeds to rig the outcome by loaning Roy his Ring of Jumping +20. |
| 168 | ** Haley and Roy have a lot of 10 gp bets over the course of the adventure. This may apply to the Order as a whole, as Haley at one point tries to make a bet with Durkon. |
| 169 | * SideEffectsInclude: Part of the magic mouth's spiel at the Sunken Valley's entrance. |
| 170 | * ASideOrderOfRomance: Implied in the backstory for how Elan's parents met. He was a globe-trotting adventurer, she was a pure-hearted tavern maid, and they fell in love. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:he was also an aspiring EvilOverlord]], so they divorced soon after Elan and Nale were born. |
| 171 | * SiegeEngines: |
| 172 | ** Notably with Redcloak flinging several Titanium Elementals during the war of Azure City. |
| 173 | ** Belkar later suggest throwing themselves via catapult to reach another tower, and first using the {{Red Shirt}}s (Daigo and Kazumi) to adjust the aim. |
| 174 | %%* SignedUpForTheDental |
| 175 | * SignificantAnagram: |
| 176 | ** [[DrizztSyndrome Zz'dtri]] |
| 177 | ** [[TheIgor Giro]] |
| 178 | * SignificantNameShift: O-Chul spends a long time as a prisoner of Xykon, during which he bonds with Xykon's [[MinionWithAnFInEvil ineffective minion]] The Monster in the Darkness and encourages him to think for himself instead of only following orders. The Monster only calls O-Chul "Mr. Stiffly" at first, based on the fact that O-Chul was under the effects of a lich's paralysis touch when they met. During an attempted attack on the villains' lair, [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0654.html O-Chul breaks out of his prison]] and rushes off to join the fight. The Monster -- knowing that Xykon will almost certainly kill him -- desperately calls for him to come back: |
| 179 | -->'''Monster:''' Wait, Mr. Stiffly! Come back! Mr. Stiffly! MR. STIFFLY! O-CHUL! |
| 180 | * SillyBrainDiagram: One strip has Haley try to find out why she is unable to speak proper Common by a doctor and his assistant. Whilst the doctor is uncertain of how he can treat her, seeing as she has a bill of perfect health, his assistant produces an alternative theory based around phrenology -- simply put, the idea that her issue might have something to do with a distortion in the area dedicated to secret-keeping. [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0303.html A look at the graph produced as a result]] shows that the human mind also apparently has areas dedicated to "Puppies", "Guacamole Recipe", and "Unused 3.0 Rules". |
| 181 | * SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids: Elan heroically defies this -- even though Tarquin had not actually meant it. |
| 182 | * SimpleSolutionWontWork: |
| 183 | ** Played with in that it's the ''backup plan of last resort'' that won't work. [[spoiler:Minrah tries to ease the pressure on Durkon trying to get Redcloak to cooperate in sealing the Snarl with the essence of the Dark One by pointing out that if he fails, the Dark One would help make the new world and the Snarl is trapped forever. However, Thor puts the kibosh on that plan. It turns out there is a gap where the gods have to wait for the Snarl to stop rampaging after a world is unmade before they can make a new one, and the Dark One does not have enough power to survive the intermission. To seal the Snarl once and for all, they need to do it with the current world or all is lost]]. |
| 184 | ** In the last arc, [[spoiler:Julia suggests to Roy about using Sunny's AntiMagic beam against Team Evil for an easy win. Roy points out several reasons it won't work. Firstly, it's not that hard to outmanoeuvre. Secondly, Team Evil has ''two'' powerful spellcasters and even if they could trap one in Sunny's beam, the other can still blast high-level magic against them. Finally, Team Evil has non-magical party members who could deal with Sunny even if by some miracle they manage to trap both of Team Evil's spellcasters]]. |
| 185 | * SingleMindedTwins: A pair of identical twin dwarves from Durkon's extended family are seen sneak-attacking and talking in unison. |
| 186 | * SinglePaletteTown: Azure City. Blue. |
| 187 | %%* SingleTear |
| 188 | * SingleSpeciesNations: The comic seems to take this approach, having the Dwarven lands and Elven lands but not showing any division in borders or territories beyond that (with the possible exception of the Dark Elves having their own kingdom). |
| 189 | * SinisterShiv: Geoff is holding one to Elan's throat when they first meet. |
| 190 | * SlasherSmile: [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1051.html "I am pointy death incarnate."]] |
| 191 | * SmallReferencePools: Averted. Among other things, the prequel book titles ''Start of Darkness'' and ''On the Origin of [=PCs=]'' are plays on the classic book titles ''Heart of Darkness'' and ''On the Origin of Species''. Never let it be said that Rich Burlew isn't well-read. |
| 192 | * SmugSnake: |
| 193 | ** Kubota thinks he's quite the {{Chessmaster}}, but he's far too reliant on his minions to really be effective and his plots are too fragile under pressure. |
| 194 | ** Similarly, Nale isn't quite TheEvilGenius he likes to think he is either. |
| 195 | ** [[invoked]] Nor is Tsukiko even close to the perfect MarySue she believes herself to be. |
| 196 | ** [[invoked]] And while he's considerably more intelligent and competent than Nale, General Tarquin ultimately points to this trope with regards to how both his WrongGenreSavvy and ItsAllAboutMe perspectives completely blind him to the greater story. Easily the biggest indicator of this is how near the end of ''Blood Runs in the Family'', after having previously bragged about being such a brilliant ManipulativeBastard, he has to literally ''bribe'' both of his more genuinely [[PragmaticVillainy pragmatic]] teammates Laurin and Miron into, to paraphrase Laurin, "indulging your delusions." |
| 197 | * TheSmurfettePrinciple: |
| 198 | ** The main group consists of four guys, one girl, and the genderqueer Vaarsuvius. The ''supporting'' cast is somewhat more balanced. |
| 199 | ** The Linear Guild initially has two women, thanks to Hilgya. After they loses her, the entire guild is invariably male, except for Sabine. |
| 200 | ** Team Evil has Tsukiko as their only female character, unless you count the zombie angels. After [[spoiler:Tsukiko's death]], Oona becomes Team Evil's sole female character. |
| 201 | * {{Snowlem|s}}: The Order is seen fighting a giant, murderous one in the [[https://s3.amazonaws.com/GiantInThePlayground_Wallpapers/WinterWallpaper_1920x1440.png Winter Wallpaper]]. |
| 202 | * SnubByOmission: Durkon tells Hilgya that the rest of the Order are "a fine group, for humans. And an elf." Hilgya points out there's also a halfling, but Durkon left him out on purpose. |
| 203 | * SoleSurvivor: As of strip #827, [[spoiler:Niu is the only surviving member of the Azure City Resistance]]. |
| 204 | * SolomonDivorce: Elan and Nale. The former went with their mother (who shares Elan's optimism and Nale's ComplexityAddiction), the latter with their father (who shares Nale's ruthlessness and Elan's [[GenreSavvy extensive knowledge of storytelling tropes]]). |
| 205 | * SomeonesTouchingMyButt: Because of the [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0088.html Invisibility Sphere (3 feet 9 inches)]]. When Vaarsuvius casts the spell, one of the party members exclaims, "Someone is squeezing my butt!" Two voices clearly belonging to Durkon and Vaarsuvius deny responsibility, leading the gropee to ask if Belkar or Roy is the groper. The final panel subverts our expectations by revealing that [[spoiler:Elan is the one whose backside is being groped... by Haley]]. |
| 206 | * SomethingBlues: ''Recap/NoCureForThePaladinBlues'' |
| 207 | * SomethingThatBeginsWithBoring: Done by Elan in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0185.html "The Time Killers]]". |
| 208 | * SommelierSpeak: |
| 209 | ** The [[SuccubiAndIncubi succubus]] Sabine sometimes taunts her enemies in combat by describing the tasting notes of the LifeEnergy she's [[VampiricDraining draining off them]]. |
| 210 | ** During the ''Utterly Dwarfed'' arc, one of the vampires working under the High Priest of Hel talks in a similar fashion about the taste of the Orders' blood, whom they'd defeated in combat. |
| 211 | --->'''Vampire:''' ''[drinking Elan's blood] Mmmmm!'' A simple but crisp, bold flavor, perfect for relaxing with friends. Delicious! Are the rest this tasty?\ |
| 212 | [...]\ |
| 213 | '''Vampire:''' ''[now drinking from Haley]'' Oh wow. Subtle, but with so many complex undertones. Seriously, Boss, I can't believe you ate this well on the flight up. |
| 214 | * SorryImGay: Elan tries to use the illusion of an alluring policewoman to distract two cops. One says, "Sorry, I'm in a committed relationship," and the other, [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0387.html "Sorry, I'm gay."]] |
| 215 | %%* SorryThatImDying: A one-off character, of the HeroicSacrifice variety. |
| 216 | * SpannerInTheWorks: As of [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1041.html strip #1041]], [[spoiler: the Monster in the Darkness is deliberately sabotaging Xykon's search for the final gate.]] |
| 217 | * SpareBodyParts: |
| 218 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0375.html Apparently, dwarves have two livers.]] |
| 219 | ** The {{lizardfolk}} Gannji gets the line "Look up the word 'hemipenes', because you can [[CurseCutShort suck BOTH of my]]--" |
| 220 | * SpeciesSpecificAfterlife: |
| 221 | ** Celia is a sylph, and as such her soul will merge with the Elemental Plane of Air rather than going to one of the Outer Planes. |
| 222 | ** Downplayed by the dwarves, whose souls are subject to slightly different rules when deciding which afterlife they will end up in because of a bet between the Northern gods Thor, Loki and Hel. An honorable death earns them a place in the Outer Plane which matches their alignment, the same as other sentient species, but a dishonorable death causes their soul to become Hel's property. |
| 223 | * SpectatorCasualty: Thog kills an audience member (ironically his biggest fan) by kicking [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0796.html Roy's Sword]] into the stands, [[OffWithHisHead decapitating the fan]]. |
| 224 | * SpeechBubbleCensoring: |
| 225 | ** Happens in [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0027.html strip #27,]] when Roy and Durkon yelling "NO" covers Elan's genitals. |
| 226 | ** In [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1257.html "Mental Block"]], Blackwing's speech bubbles serve to cover up Roy's... [[PrecisionFStrike colorful language.]] |
| 227 | * SpeechBubbles: Numerous variations in their shape or color for specific characters. |
| 228 | ** [[TheUndead Undead]] have black speech bubbles with white text. When Xykon becomes a lich in ''Start of Darkness'' and his speech bubbles change to the undead format, he comments on his dramatic, [[PowerEchoes echoey voice]]. Redcloak clarifies that this is because Xykon no longer has a functional larynx, so his voice is magically powered by negative energy. |
| 229 | ** Diverse colored speech bubbles for outsiders such as gods, celestials, infernals, and ghosts. Infernals usually have black speech bubbles with colored text inside (lampshaded with Qarr the imp, who is recognized by his red-on-black speech bubbles). Celestials have brightly colored bubbles with black text. [[spoiler:For gods, it reflects the color of their pantheon's quiddity.]] Elemental spirits like Celia have a color related to their plane of origin. |
| 230 | ** Dragons, half-dragons, and giants all also have colored speech bubbles linked to their species. Aberrations too, apparently, if the [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0865.html carrion crawlers]] or [[spoiler:[[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1238.html the beholder]]]] are any indication. |
| 231 | ** Being under some magical effect can alter the color of a character's speech bubbles, like with [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0331.html the Oracle doing a prophecy]], [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0635.html Vaarsuvius under the Soul Splice]], or [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0767.html Haley having imbibed a Potion of Glibness]]. |
| 232 | ** The shape is sometimes significant too, like with LawfulNeutral Modrons having rectangular bubbles.[[invoked]] |
| 233 | ** The connectors pointing to which character is speaking also give indications. They are straight when the speaker is healthy, but become irregular for a sick, stunned, drunk, confused, wounded or dying character, to represent shaky speech. Malack's are always this way [[spoiler:until he shows his GameFace]], hinting of a raspy or hissy voice. |
| 234 | ** More classically, bubbles with dotted borders and grey text indicate whispering. Zz'dtri's bubbles always have grey text, since he's TheQuietOne and hardly ever raises his voice. |
| 235 | ** Early in the comic, mumbling to oneself or aside comments by the characters were texts without bubbles and just a connector. But this became rarer and rarer and has phased out by book 3 -- except for the Demon-Roaches, [[TheArtifact who only ever talk this way]]. That is, until strip 1260 where they get pink, rectangular bubbles -- which they proudly announce: |
| 236 | --->'''Demon-Roach:''' We got new speech boxes! |
| 237 | ** In Book 7, V's ''telepathic bond'' spell allows the whole group to communicate mentally, and their speech bubbles become wavy and are given a specific color for each character. |
| 238 | --->'''Elan:''' ''[telepathically]'' And the funky speech balloons will remind everyone that we're not making any noise! |
| 239 | * SpeechBubblesInterruption: Sometimes. |
| 240 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0011.html "Alignment Differences"]]: |
| 241 | --->'''Elan:''' Hey, why wasn't Belkar affect--\ |
| 242 | '''Roy:''' Best not to dwell on it. |
| 243 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0032.html "DON'T say it! It's trademarked."]] |
| 244 | ** Celia's attempt at mediation [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0533.html for the Azure City Resistance]] is cut short. |
| 245 | * SpeedEchoes: |
| 246 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0977.html After being struck by a lightning gun]], [[spoiler:the flesh golem that Crystal has become]] gets supercharged and moves fast enough to leave after-images. |
| 247 | ** Shortly thereafter, Haley gets the same visual effect once she activates her Boots of Speed. |
| 248 | %%* SpotTheImposter: DoubleSubversion. |
| 249 | * SquareRaceRoundClass: |
| 250 | ** Belkar, a halfling melee ranger/barbarian. |
| 251 | ** Therkla, a half-orc ninja. |
| 252 | * StabTheScorpion: Just as it looks like Therkla has [[IfICantHaveYou turned on Elan for rejecting her]], she instead attacks Qarr the imp, who was trying to set her up to flank him. |
| 253 | * StartOfDarkness: The {{Prequel}} print-only graphic novel ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickStartOfDarkness Start of Darkness]]'', detailing the backstories of Xykon and Redcloak, is the TropeNamer. |
| 254 | * StayInTheKitchen: [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0213.html Belkar tells this to Miko]]. Naturally, it comes back to bite him in the ass almost immediately. |
| 255 | * StealthInsult: |
| 256 | ** Malack seemingly makes one so stealthy even the readers didn't notice, when he comments that "You don't spend time with a general of [[spoiler:Tarquin's]] caliber without learning a few things about attrition," which under the circumstances taken as saying that he's a skilled general experienced at draining an enemy's resources with minimal losses. Later events and author comments suggest that what he actually meant is that [[spoiler:Tarquin's]] military tactics are restricted to WeHaveReserves and ZergRush, so ''every'' battle is won by attrition when he's in charge. |
| 257 | ** In [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1099.html #1099]], when Blackwing is disappointed about not getting the ''greater magic fang'' potion: |
| 258 | --->'''Blackwing:''' Darn it! I was really hoping to become a totally cool killing machine with magical razor sharp talons of death!\ |
| 259 | '''Vaarsuvius:''' You should not be concerned. There is far more standing between you and that goal than the absence of one potion.\ |
| 260 | '''Blackwing:''' [[SarcasmMode Thanks, V. You always know what to say.]] |
| 261 | * StealthPun: |
| 262 | ** Leeky Windstaff's hawk is named Kitty. [[DontExplainTheJoke As in]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Hawk,_North_Carolina "Kitty Hawk"]]. |
| 263 | ** While desperately trying to come up with any way to "weasel out" of falling to his death, Roy literally [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0443.html exhausts his Bag of Tricks]]. And for a bonus stealth pun, there wasn't even a weasel in there. |
| 264 | ** [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0469.html Skullsy decides there in fact ARE things worse than serving Belkar and goes against its "master".]] One could say, this disembodied skull has grown a spine. |
| 265 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0750.html Malack spell-checking Durkon's scroll.]] ''Spell''-checking. Got it? |
| 266 | ** The three empires on the Western Continent are never mentioned together in the same sentence. They're the Empires of ''Blood'', ''Sweat'', and ''Tears''. |
| 267 | ** The title of strip #914, [[spoiler:"Last in the Coffin". This strip is the one confirming that Nale is not coming back from the dead. The title is from the expression "putting the last nail in the coffin"]]. |
| 268 | ** The arc involving [[spoiler:Golem Crystal]] ends with her falling into a volcano -- just like [[spoiler:Gollum]]. Also note that [[spoiler:the Crystal Golem is an actual yet obscure type of golem from some editions of the game]]. |
| 269 | ** As with all other undead in this universe, vampires are mentioned as being static Characters who are unable to go through CharacterDevelopment or engage in critical self-analysis, instead being "frozen in time" at the period when they were made undead. In other words, vampires have no reflection. |
| 270 | * SteppingStoneSword: While fighting [[spoiler:Vampire Durkon]], Roy borrows the High Priestess of Odin's spear. He misses his foe when throwing it, but it stays stuck in the wall and Roy then uses it as perch to reach the upper walkway of the temple. |
| 271 | * StickFigureComic: But don't let that fool you into thinking it's not a well-drawn comic. Despite the style, characters are complex enough to be easily recognized and backgrounds are lush and detailed. The characters, [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0675.html of course]], [[MediumAwareness are well-aware of their art style]]. |
| 272 | -->'''Merchant:''' You're wearing long pants?\ |
| 273 | '''Haley:''' Yeah, I know. The way we're drawn makes it sort of hard to tell.\ |
| 274 | '''Elan:''' For the first 100 strips, I thought I was barefoot. |
| 275 | * SticksToTheBack: Roy's greatsword; Haley's longbow; Thog's greataxe. Mostly the result of the simplified art style. (Other weapons tends to [[{{Hammerspace}} simply disappear]] when not in use.) After the first bout of ArtEvolution, Roy has straps on the back of his armor to hold the sword, although they work better than they should. Haley's bow still sticks, though. |
| 276 | * StickySituation: Inside Serini's abode, she reveals that the stools Minrah and Durkon were sitting on are in fact mimics. Durkon's gets nervous and starts secreting glue, sticking his butt to it, followed by his hands after Belkar tricks him into trying a "deep tissue massage" to calm down the mimic. |
| 277 | * TheStinger: The print versions of the books all have one at the very last page involving one of the characters commenting on something. |
| 278 | * StockYuck: Babies for the Monster in the Darkness; squids (and babies) for O-Chul. |
| 279 | * StoneWall: O-Chul has taken every possible feat to be as tough as he can be. It comes in handy as he's tortured to the brink of death for months. |
| 280 | * StrangeMindsThinkAlike: In strip #917, Tarquin points out that Elan would easily find replacement adventurers for his party, offering the name "Rob Redblade" as an alternative to Roy Greenhilt. Way back in strip #112, one of the silly names Xykon used for Roy was "Mr. Redblade". |
| 281 | * StreetSmart: |
| 282 | ** Among the Order, Haley has the most of this. |
| 283 | ** Among Azure City's resistance, Niu was singled out by Haley for having similar skills. |
| 284 | * StrongFamilyResemblance: [[spoiler:Nale and Elan look exactly like Tarquin, except he has grey hair (light brown when younger). Oh, and Nale having an evil goatee.]] |
| 285 | * StumblingInTheNewForm: When [[spoiler:Roy Greenhilt]] is brought BackFromTheDead, he promptly falls flat on his face, forgetting that he has to walk instead of [[GhostlyGlide float around incorporeally]]. |
| 286 | * StupidEvil: Almost entirely averted, particularly for a storyline with dozens of villains. |
| 287 | ** Belkar qualifies before his CharacterDevelopment, until he finally figures out that he can get away with a lot more evilness by [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0606.html pretending to follow society's rules]]. |
| 288 | ** Xykon sometimes does things that would be StupidEvil in other contexts, but as he has no true goals beyond power and is very aware of the consequences of his actions, he doesn't really qualify. |
| 289 | ** Moreover, Tarquin and the Fiends actively deny it. Tarquin is GenreSavvy, knows that letting the Snarl destroy the world he wants to rule would be idiotic, and is happy to play TheManBehindTheMan to maintain his power. The Fiends, on the other hand, both deny and play straight EvilIsOneBigHappyFamily, by uniting their warring factions to do something with the SealedEvilInACan. |
| 290 | * StupidGood: |
| 291 | ** Celia will not stand murder or theft regardless of the circumstances. It doesn't matter that they're a guild of thieves; you have to pay them back. |
| 292 | ** Notably averted by Elan, who is both stupid and good but not StupidGood. He ''absolutely refuses'' to kill a helpless opponent, however, be it his treacherous, backstabbing (literally) brother or the [[SmugSnake smug]], [[AristocratsAreEvil evil aristocrat]] who surrenders to Elan and tells him ''to his face'' that he's doing it so he can manipulate the courts into acquitting him and embarrassing his rival. |
| 293 | ** Ian Starshine cannot let the opportunity to insult a tyrant pass him by, even though said tyrant is offering him the rare chance of an official pardon thanks to Roy's actions. Insulting him doesn't even offer Ian any beneficial results other than catharsis, which would probably prove less useful in the long run than no prison sentence. Although Ian noted shortly after that he didn't believe the tyrant would ever actually honor the pardon. Comes back to bite him when [[spoiler:Tarquin frames Ian for murdering an ambassador, because Tarquin didn't like the way Ian spoke to him.]] |
| 294 | * StupidSexyFlanders: Not by name, but [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0494.html Roy was obviously uncomfortable with seeing his mother as she was at 19]]. |
| 295 | * SuaveSabre: The DashingHispanic SkyPirate Julio Scoundrel fights with an enchanted sabre and a GenreSavvy flair for the dramatic. At the end of [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0943.html Book 6]], he [[spoiler:[[PassingTheTorch gives the sabre]] to his protege Elan]]. |
| 296 | * SubParSupremacist: Redcloak the goblin cleric hates humans, humanoids and hobgoblins (although he does start accepting the latter) and wants to make the world a better place for goblins. Unfortunately, he's the regular target of ContemptCrossfire from his boss Xykon (who forbade him from regrowing a lost eyeball as punishment for losing Xykon's phylactery) and people who hate him for being a genocidal conqueror, and is often shown to be incapable of accepting truths he doesn't like (such as putting a paladin through weeks of torture for information rather than believe the paladin ''didn't know anything'') or maturing as a person, his plans have gotten far more goblins killed than the heroes, and despite being the foremost cleric of the goblins, has never even spoken with his god. |
| 297 | * SuggestiveCollision: Haley [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0109.html tackles Elan]] from above to stop him from touching a magical gate -- inadvertently putting the two of them in a suggestive position. |
| 298 | * SuicidalLemmings: One of the [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/Incentives.html voting incentive comics]] shows a "Dire Lemming", which instead of attacking Roy runs past him and off a cliff. |
| 299 | * SuperIdentikit: Subverted with an ArtShift showing Thog and Nale in a more realistic style. |
| 300 | * SupermanStaysOutOfGotham: The narrative continually has to contrive reasons to remove Vaarsuvius from the plot (polymorphed, paralyzed, soul trapped by demons, etc.) because otherwise [[LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards their game-breaking power]] would interfere with story arcs where the team is playing underdog to mundane villainous threats, particularly iterations of the linear guild. |
| 301 | * SupernaturalTeam: PlayedForLaughs when Durkon and Hilgya briefly form "Team [[ReligionIsMagic Cleric]]", whose main strategy is to heal each other of all injuries until their attackers get fed up and leave. |
| 302 | * SuperWindowJump: An inherent ability of the Dashing Swordsman PrestigeClass. |
| 303 | * SupportingLeader: Discussed. When Tarquin finally realises that Elan isn't going to let Roy be [[MentorOccupationalHazard killed off]] to [[ExploitedTrope leave room]] for him the become TheHero, he offers instead to [[KickedUpstairs give Roy command]] of a legion of soldiers, occasionally playing DaChief to a party led by Elan which would be the real focus of the story. |
| 304 | * SurpriseInspectionRuse: Provides the page quote, which is also a DoubleSubverted example. Elan and Haley are stymied trying to sneak into GenreSavvy Tarquin's prison this way because he has a section on this trope in his guards' manual. But after drinking a potion of [[BlatantLies Glibness]], she's able to convince them that it was an "elaborate test of your adherence to procedure". |
| 305 | * SurprisinglyMundaneReason: After escaping from an ambush by frost giants serving the demigod Thrym, the party correctly concludes that the latter must be in cahoots with the goddess Hel to stop them from ruining her nefarious plans. Roy muses, though, that they can't possibly comprehend what dark pact could bind the god of frost giants to Hel's service. [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1080.html Next panel reveals]] that Thrym simply hopes to become Hel's consort when she'll be usurping Odin's throne. |
| 306 | * SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: |
| 307 | ** In keeping with his class's mechanical ability to grant inspiration to his party members to improve their abilities, Elan tries to sing songs to help Roy bluff and V concentrate. Both of them are foiled instead because Elan tells the subject of the bluff check that Roy is bluffing and his song only annoys V. Another time, he tries singing to improve his and Haley's chances at moving silently, only for Haley to remind him it's a ''textbook example'' of a situation where it doesn't work. |
| 308 | ** Belkar gets hung by bandits but comes out of it completely fine since he's a 30-pound halfling with most of his weight concentrated in his head, meaning the rope can't even pull tight enough to choke him, let alone break his neck. Belkar even starts mocking humans [[LampshadeHanging for assuming all human methods of execution apply to every species]]. |
| 309 | ** When the group fights a hydra, they find that every time one of its heads is cut off, two more grow in its place. However, once it grows enough heads, it passes out because it no longer has enough blood to supply its many brains. |
| 310 | ** Bozzok gets a fatal lesson on why you ''don't'' make a golem self-aware. Grubwiggler points this out before [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere booking]]. |
| 311 | ** In an attempt to stop the Order from thwarting her plans, the goddess Hel reveals that Belkar's cat picked up a [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1081.html deadly disease]] during their recent adventures in the desert, and thanks to her powers it has now spread to the entire group and everyone else on the airship. Nothing comes of it because that particular virus has an incubation period of ''five weeks''. [[spoiler:And Durkon casts ''remove disease'' on everybody after he comes back.]] |
| 312 | ** Late into the story, Durkon has a heartfelt reunion with his mother Sigdi after being exiled from the Dwarven lands for years. The party assumes that Sigdi had no way of knowing of Durkon's whereabouts since he was immediately tossed out on short notice. However, it's then revealed that Durkon had been keeping contact with ''sending'' (the magical equivalent of a video message), and had in fact talked with her last week. |
| 313 | --->'''Durkon:''' Wha's the point o' havin' long-range commun'cation magic if'n ye cannae use it ta tell yer loved ones yer safe? |
| 314 | ** In the ''Good Deeds Gone Unpunished'' prequel book, Lien is confronted by a sea hag and her enslaved skitterlings. The hag demands that Lien answer three riddles or she will be turned into another skitterling. Lien responds by [[TalkToTheFist beating the hag senseless.]] |
| 315 | * SurrogateSoliloquy: |
| 316 | ** "[[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0622.html Don't Hate the Player Character]]" is mostly Belkar talking to Mr. Scruffy. When another human does enter the scene (Jenny the thief saying ComeBackToBedHoney), she's promptly dismissed. |
| 317 | ** "[[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1083.html You Bet]]" shows Hel watching and commentating on a PensieveFlashback to the IncitingIncident of her current scheme to end the world. It would be just Hel indulging in some villainous brooding if her IgnoredEnamoredUnderling Thrym weren't in the room listening patiently. |
| 318 | * SurvivedTheBeginning: Half the Linear Guild was lost the first time they met the [=OotS=] gang, in [[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickDungeonCrawlinFools "Dungeon Crawlin' Fools"]]. Since then, the three survivors have consistently made it away while their newer members tend to get PutOnABus or killed. (Though other characters have not been so lucky, notably poor Miko. And even [Nale and Zzdri, one of the three aforementioned survivors plus another original member who [[TheBusCameBack came back]], have bought it lately.) |
| 319 | * SurvivorGuilt: |
| 320 | ** Vaarsuvius has this really bad for a while after the Battle for Azure City. [[spoiler:They turned invisible after they ran out of spells during the fight for Azure City. Some fleeing and desperate soldiers noticed the elf despite the invisibility and begged for help. V stood there silently and watched them all be slaughtered. Months later they weren't sleeping very much at all due to [[CatapultNightmare nightmares]].]] |
| 321 | ** It seems Belkar had a touch of this after [[spoiler:Durkon gets vampirized while saving him from the same fate.]] |
| 322 | ** Serini finally revealing just how much guilt she has in [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1249.html #1249]], telling Lien "Dor and Liri were so much '''''better''''' than me, and he killed them both! [[NotWorthKilling I'm only alive because I wasn't important enough for him to make sure I was dead!]]" |
| 323 | * SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Discussed when [[spoiler:Tarquin claims that after he kills Roy Greenhilt and Durkon Thundershield, Elan will have a TerribleIntervieweesMontage and end up hiring "Rob Redblade" and "Murkon Lightninghammer".]] This references the tendency in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' campaigns where a lost party member will be quickly replaced by another character with the same class and level (to maintain party balance), and because they're played by the same person, often the same personality too. |
| 324 | * SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: |
| 325 | ** When Elan joins up with Roy in ''On the Origin of [=PCs=]'', he pulls one of these, which makes Roy question his decision to let Elan in. He probably regrets this a lot later. |
| 326 | ** When the Order first run into Miko: |
| 327 | --->'''Roy:''' What "crimes against existence"? We're not guilty of any crimes!\ |
| 328 | '''[[StickyFingers Haley]]:''' Right. Completely innocent.\ |
| 329 | '''[[TokenEvilTeammate Belkar]]:''' Never done anything wrong.\ |
| 330 | '''[[RealityWarper Vaarsuvius]]:''' Yes. None of us have ever tampered with the fundamental natural order when bored. [[AndThatWouldBeWrong That would be wrong.]] |
| 331 | ** The songs Elan uses to try to lead people out of the hotel to safety [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0238.html are full of this.]] |
| 332 | ** While Belkar is supposed to be locked in a cell in Azure City, Roy apparently took an appointment with Lord Shojo under "Order of the Stick and mysterious cloaked stranger who is totally ''not'' a halfling on stilts". |
| 333 | ** [[spoiler:Serini Toormuck]] certainly [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1293.html didn't use]] a few inches of water with green dye in it instead of an AcidPool because [[spoiler:she]] used the room's entire budget on the walkway. |
| 334 | * SwallowedWhole: |
| 335 | ** Haley, by the young Black Dragon. V ''Suggests'' that it vomit her up. "And aim for the halfling." |
| 336 | ** Vaarsuvius, by an Owlbear Belkar pushes them in front of as a prank. |
| 337 | ** Vaarsuvius again, at the climax of their duel with the Ancient Black Dragon. [[spoiler:V simply ''Shapechanges'' into a dragon, killing the other dragon instantly.]] |
| 338 | * SympatheticPOV: A common thread in the comic is that even completely Evil-aligned characters can be surprisingly nuanced and sympathetic when given enough focus. Belkar Bitterleaf is a good example of this trope in action; even after over a thousand strips' worth of CharacterDevelopment, he's still ultimately a remorseless sociopathic {{Jerkass}} who loves to get his rocks off hurting, killing, and insulting innocent people. However, thanks in part to him both working alongside the Order of the Stick in saving the world and him becoming increasingly mature and kind-hearted, it can be hard ''not'' to empathize and root for him. For instance, after [[spoiler:his CruelToBeKind moment]], he bitterly grumbles [[http:/www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0881.html "Hurting people is the only thing I'm good at"]] while looking visibly disgusted with himself. And later on, Belkar admits while drunk that he has no actual idea what he wants to do in life and is fully aware [[TheFriendNobodyLikes of how hated he is]]. |
| 339 | * SympatheticVillainDespicableVillain: The two most prominent villains are BigBad Xykon and his DragonWithAnAgenda Redcloak. Xykon is a CardCarryingVillain who causes pain and suffering to others ForTheEvulz, [[TheUnfettered will do absolutely anything in the pursuit of power]] and has zero empathy for any other beings. Redcloak is a VisionaryVillain and borderline WellIntentionedExtremist who recognises that his people, the goblins, have an unfair disadvantage compared to many other races thanks to the role the gods assigned them when the world was created, and believes that his EvilPlan can re-shape the world to give the goblins a better chance of thriving. |
| 340 | [[/folder]] |
| 341 | |
| 342 | [[folder:T]] |
| 343 | * TakeMyHand: |
| 344 | ** Elan [[SaveTheVillain saves Nale]] this way shortly after he first reveals his true motives. |
| 345 | --->'''Elan:''' OK, I'll help you up, if you promise to surrender.\ |
| 346 | '''Nale:''' Fine! Whatever! Just be careful, my hands are still slippery with your blood.\ |
| 347 | '''Elan:''' You're not making me feel better about this decision. |
| 348 | ** [[spoiler:Tarquin]] tries to get Elan to do this when [[spoiler:he's dangling from the ''Mechane''. Elan has learned his lessons about both this trope and Tarquin, though, and lets him slip and fall (at least in part because he realizes it will not kill him).]] |
| 349 | * TakenForGranite: |
| 350 | ** In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0053.html her first appearance]], Celia is victim of a ''flesh to stone'' spell. She is [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0070.html later restored]] by a scroll of ''break enchantment''. |
| 351 | ** A greater devil is turned to stone by Vaarsuvius with a ''prismatic spray''. He certainly makes a kickass tombstone. |
| 352 | ** [[spoiler:Haley is also the victim of ''flesh to stone'' with the [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0789.html surprise return of Zz'dtri]].]] |
| 353 | * TakeOurWordForIt: |
| 354 | ** In the prequel book ''Start of Darkness'', we see varying reactions of a crowd seeing the [[UnseenEvil Monster in the Darkness]]. Reactions range from vomiting to "Hideous, yet strangely beautiful..." |
| 355 | ** All we see of Vaarsuvius using the spell [[CombatTentacles Evan's Spiked Tentacles of Forced Intrusion]] ("Wait, what?") in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0020.html this strip]] is the horrified reactions of the rest of the party and screams of the victim. '''Never''' mess with a wizard if they haven't used up all their spell slots. |
| 356 | ** In the aptly named strip [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0313.html "Words Fail"]], about Roy and Celia's first date, we ''can'' see that they're having a great time talking to each other... but what they're actually ''saying'' is omitted. |
| 357 | ** Lampshaded after Team Evil's exploration of [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1040.html one of the many dungeons at Kraagor's tomb.]] |
| 358 | --->'''Oona:''' Such thrilling, hard-fought battles, though! So many twisting and turning!\ |
| 359 | '''Greyview:''' Death beckoned in every hall.\ |
| 360 | '''Monster in the Darkness:''' And so visually complex, too! I'm glad no one had to draw any picture of any of that. |
| 361 | * TakeThat: |
| 362 | ** Redcloak thinks [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0546.html very poorly of the Incarnum system]], preferring fortune cookies and eight balls to a high-level Incarnum user. |
| 363 | ** Tsukiko's attitude in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0700.html "They Would Likely Both Disagree with That Sentiment"]] sounds [[Literature/{{Twilight}} awfully familiar...]] |
| 364 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0339.html "C.P.P.D. Blues"]] is one strip against people who criticize Rich for choosing stick figure comics as his medium, thinking that he can't draw anything more realistic. |
| 365 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0253.html "Larry Gardener and the Angry Half-Orc"]], toward ''Literature/HarryPotter''. |
| 366 | ** A subtle one in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0485.html "Hey! You! Get off my Cloud!"]] when, in response to his father claiming that this wasn't ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', Roy remarks, "Could have fooled me; that last battle took long enough..." |
| 367 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0539.html "Well There Is That 'Saint' Prestige Class"]] mocks Fox News... which turns out to be an ''actual fox'' who only speaks in yips and yowls. |
| 368 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0962.html "Just Think How Many Times He's Seen Himself Naked"]] has one against the people who blamed [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_2014_celebrity_photo_leaks the August 2014 nude leaks]] on the celebrities, in the form of the title and this line: |
| 369 | --->'''High Priest of Hel:''' And frankly, if you didn't want your private memories ransacked, you shouldn't have formed them in the first place! |
| 370 | ** In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1144.html "That's Jack's Fault"]], Thor complains that he "used to be a ginger until that damn [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor superhero comic book]] came out". |
| 371 | ** In [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1265.html "Non-Killer App"]], there's a jab at certain types of video games: |
| 372 | --->'''Quinton:''' Have you ever wanted to experience a thrilling world of fantastical adventure? Now you can.\ |
| 373 | '''Redcloak:''' Ugh, I hate when the ads are for the thing you're already doing. We're living in a fantasy world right now! Skip! '''''SKIP!'''''\ |
| 374 | '''Greyview:''' [[NeverTrustATrailer Is never same as ad once you start playing anyway.]] |
| 375 | * TakeThatAudience: |
| 376 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0465.html "No-one Like a Tattletale"]] sets up and immediately subverts the {{WMG}} that Tsukiko would [[ReforgedIntoAMinion resurrect]] Miko as a Death Knight, confirming her as KilledOffForReal in the process. |
| 377 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0788.html "A Vexation or Irritation"]] has a blink-and-you'll-miss-it dig towards the fanbase, regarding either [[PsychopathicManchild Thog]] or [[MagnificentBastard Tarquin's]] [[DracoInLeatherPants persistent popularity]] in spite of their monstrous deeds: |
| 378 | --->'''Tarquin:''' It's weird, no matter how many people he kills the audience still thinks he's lovable. |
| 379 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0975.html "Up in the Air"]] seems to be a poke at the old fan argument over whether the Order's actions against the Young Black Dragon qualified as murder. One side argued that the Order was breaking and entering, meaning the dragon had a right to attack first and the Order's actions couldn't be justified as self-defense; the other side argued that the Order couldn't have reasonably known they were breaking into a monster's home. The strip depicts a gang of adventurers getting into the same argument with a paladin over some dead orcs. |
| 380 | * TakeYourTime: Lampshaded to hell and back. |
| 381 | -->'''Elan:''' Oh! That reminds me! I've been meaning to ask--\ |
| 382 | '''Bandanna:''' No, just 'cause you have an airship now does NOT mean that the main plot will stand still while y'all fly around and finish up all the sidequests you missed. Why does somebody always ask that? |
| 383 | * TakingTheBullet: |
| 384 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0425.html Roy takes a couple arrows for Elan.]] Belkar lampshades that from a purely mechanical perspective, this is pointless, as the damage was nonlethal -- he's just changed who needs to drink a healing potion. [[FriendshipMoment All he saved Elan from was the pain of the injury]]. This becomes a lot less cute when Roy later reflects that that healing potion could have potentially [[spoiler:saved him from imminent death by falling.]] |
| 385 | ** Later, [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0451.html a hobgoblin intercepts a catapult stone for Redcloak.]] |
| 386 | * ATaleToldByAnIdiot: Thog explains the situation involving Nale swapping places with Elan to a police officer. Unfortunately, not only is Thog not very bright, he also doesn't know the other twin's name, so he has to refer to Nale and Not-Nale (along with lots of FunWithHomophones), leading to the cop being completely confused. |
| 387 | -->'''Thog: [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0367.html not nale, not-nale. thog help nale nail not-nale, not nale. and thog knot not-nale while nale nail not-nale. nale, not not-nale, now nail not-nale by leaving not-nale, not nale, in jail.]]'''\ |
| 388 | ''[beat]''\ |
| 389 | '''Cop:''' Pleading insanity then? |
| 390 | * TalentVsTraining: [[BigBad Xykon]] is a sorcerer born with innate magic and [[BerserkButton absolutely hates]] being [[UnequalRites condescended to]] by wizards who learn their magic through study. Wizards are more adaptable than him, but those who underestimate his raw power are also [[HeroKiller more dead than him]]. |
| 391 | -->'''Xykon:''' Because yes, I am a sorcerer -- and this magic is in my bones, not cribbed off of "Magic for Dummies." And I can keep casting the same friggin' spell at you until you roll over and die. You can have your finely-crafted watch -- give me the sledgehammer to the face any day. ENERGY DRAIN! |
| 392 | * TheTalk: Subverted when (in a flashback) young Durkon goes to his HonoraryUncle to ask about something his mother refuses to talk about. |
| 393 | -->'''Uncle Thirden:''' Is this about sex? Please let it be about anything other than sex.\ |
| 394 | '''Durkon:''' How did Ma [[AnArmAndALeg get hurt]]? And how did me Pa die?\ |
| 395 | ''[beat]''\ |
| 396 | '''Uncle Thirden:''' So how about that ''sex'', huh? |
| 397 | * TalkingIsAFreeAction: |
| 398 | ** Lampshaded, and [[InvokedTrope mentioned]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0166.html once by name.]] Arguably {{justified|Trope}}, in that, by the [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons rules of the world]], talking ''is'' a [[TropeNamer free action]].[[note]]Although the rule is explicitly that you can say a few words or shout a warning during a combat, ''not'' having a long-winded speech. Of course, that's one of the most-abused rule of the game, something the comic often takes a dig at.[[/note]] |
| 399 | --->'''Haley:''' Relax, speaking is a free action. |
| 400 | ** Averted in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0186.html #186]] where V's excessive talking uses up one of the two rounds before the dragon attacks. |
| 401 | ** Similarly averted in ''On the Origin of [=PCs=]'', when V's filibustering to the presenter in the middle of a wizards' CookingDuel uses up most of their 60 minutes' time limit. |
| 402 | ** Taken to ridiculous lengths yet again in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0811.html "A Touch of Death"]]. Nale, Sabine and Elan exchange several dozen words during the first few milliseconds of Malack's arm swing. |
| 403 | * TalkToTheFist: |
| 404 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0652.html Xykon proving that]] [[ContractualGenreBlindness even he]] can be GenreSavvy (spoilers, as usual). |
| 405 | ** Enor's response to Elan's attempt at pun-fighting? [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0714.html "Puns are for girls."]] (Plus a morning star to the head.) |
| 406 | * TantrumThrowing: Sabine hurls a couch through a demonic television screen after [[spoiler:watching Nale's death on said TV]]. |
| 407 | * TastesLikeChicken: After [[spoiler:Dark Vaarsuvius polymorphs into a dragon and tears apart the Black Dragon Mother from the inside out, one of the souls bound to them makes this remark.]] |
| 408 | * TheTeam: The series centers around a group of six adventurers and eventually two {{Team Pet}}s. Some of the roles are distributed among several characters, notably by having two or three major damage-dealers and two people capable of outsmarting the leader. |
| 409 | * TechnicalEuphemism: |
| 410 | ** Haley says she's not a thief, but a "freelance wealth redistribution specialist". |
| 411 | ** In [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0641.html this comic]], Vaarsuvius claims [[AmbiguousGender they]] didn't [[DealWithTheDevil sell their soul to fiends]], they "negotiated an exchange with three gentlemen from other planes of existence" and that it's a "a fixed-term lease with an occupancy date yet to be determined." |
| 412 | * TeethFlying: |
| 413 | ** In strip #907, when [[spoiler:Vampire Durkon hits Zz'dtri in the face with Malack's staff, a couple of teeth go flying]]. |
| 414 | ** As recalled by Sigdi Thundershield, the first time her friend Hoskin proposed to her, she responded by punching him in the face. He's still missing a tooth to this day. |
| 415 | * TeleportationMisfire: When the party gets teleported by a drunk wizard, [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0377.html they end up in a giant bird's nest instead of Azure City.]] |
| 416 | * TeleportInterdiction: |
| 417 | ** The ''cloister'' spell, invented by Dorukan and used by Xykon on Azure City. It doesn't prevent teleportation from spots within its limit, but block those coming from outside (with a specific loophole for Summoning magic). Vaarsuvius breaks through with an Epic Teleport spell granted by the Soul Splice. |
| 418 | ** Redcloak has his private study completely protected from teleportation, in or out, as Tsukiko untimely discovers. |
| 419 | ** Vaarsuvius has also used the ''dimensional anchor'' spell a few times to lock down a teleporting character. It's even a minor plot point in the strip [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0862.html "Pop Goes Pop"]], where the villains can escape an ambush only because V is not with the heroes to lock them down. |
| 420 | ** In the dwarven council chamber in Firmament, past the orange barrier any planar travel coming from the outside is blocked. (Not initiated from the inside, though, which makes ''plane shift'' still an offensive option.) |
| 421 | * TeleportSpam: |
| 422 | ** Qarr can do this as a natural power, and he points out to Blackwing that it's useless trying to outrun him. |
| 423 | ** How Tarquin and co. catches up to the fleeing Order of the Stick, thanks to Laurin Shattersmith. |
| 424 | * TemptingFate: Regularly. Too many examples to count. Often lampshaded as well. |
| 425 | ** Inverted in ''On the Origins of [=PCs=]'': [[spoiler:Belkar breaks out of prison, murders a guard and exclaims, "Things can't get any better!" He promptly stumbles upon a 2-for-1 deal on whores.]] |
| 426 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0458.html "Exit Strategy"]]: |
| 427 | --->'''Old Prisoner:''' HA! I knew I made the right call staying in prison. That Tsukiko chick is getting her ass kicked by an elemental! It's so much safer up here!\ |
| 428 | '''Tsukiko: ''SHOUT!'' '''\ |
| 429 | ''[cell crumbles; a slab of stone falls and crushes the old man to death]''\ |
| 430 | '''Nale:''' Well, now, really, what did you expect after a line like that? |
| 431 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0478.html "On Usefulness"]] |
| 432 | --->'''Belkar:''' Hopefully, the-- ah, crap! CRAP!\ |
| 433 | '''Haley:''' What? What is it?\ |
| 434 | '''Belkar:''' I just had the urge to say, "Hopefully the others have had an easier time than we have!"\ |
| 435 | '''Haley:''' Damn it! You know what that means, right?\ |
| 436 | '''Belkar:''' Yeah, that they're almost certainly in deep sh-- |
| 437 | ** The fourth panel of [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0611.html strip #611]]. |
| 438 | --->'''Low-level rogue:''' I don't expect any trouble.\ |
| 439 | '''Partially obscured wall writings:''' in danger... with... Belkar... |
| 440 | ** And now Yukyuk gets [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0799.html "his lucky day"]], with a hostile wizard floating right behind him. |
| 441 | ** In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0997.html strip #997]], Roy says that nothing anyone can say will stop him from looking for Belkar. [[spoiler:The Priestess of Odin promptly announces that the gods must vote on whether the world is to be destroyed or not.]] Roy shuts up. |
| 442 | ** In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1016.html strip #1016]], Roy asserts that there is no way [[spoiler:the dwarves council would vote to hand their people's souls to Hel. Cue Gontor materializing close by with a teleport orb and stating that he and the High Priest of Hel can now leave and dominate the dwarven elders to skew their votes.]] |
| 443 | * TerribleIntervieweesMontage: |
| 444 | ** Inverted in ''On the Origin of [=PCs=]''; there's a montage of wacky adventurers (including a couple visual [[ShoutOut Shout-Outs]]), but all of them turn down Roy's attempts to hire them. |
| 445 | ** {{Discussed|Trope}} by Tarquin, claiming that [[spoiler:if he kills Roy and Durkon, the others]] will just have one of these at [[YouAllMeetInAnInn the next inn]] they come across and end up hiring some guys called [[spoiler:[[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute Rob Redblade and Murkon Lightninghammer]].]] |
| 446 | * TestOfPain: {{Parodied|Trope}} when Redcloak takes command of the hobgoblin army. [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0149.html Learning]] that his induction would involve the Ritual of Public Spanking, the Ritual of Uncomfortable Piercings in Private Places, and the Ritual of Doing the First Four Rituals Over Again, Only Slower and While Singing, he gives himself a KlingonPromotion instead. |
| 447 | * ThatManIsDead: [[spoiler:Malack's]] reaction when given the offer to escape undeath by being destroyed and resurrected is that he's lived in his current form for centuries, far longer than he was truly alive, and that over that time he's developed into an entirely different person who barely even remembers his past life. That Man is quite ''literally'' dead. [[spoiler:Vampires are actually different persons than their past selves.]] |
| 448 | * ThatsNoMoon: [[spoiler:Minrah and Durkon]], when reaching the afterlife, believe at first to be walking on some FluffyCloudHeaven with a dark sky, and spot a tower in the distance. Except [[spoiler:said tower is actually the god Thor's leg, the fluffy ground is the fur of his boot, and the sky background is his cape. Yes, the Stickverse gods are huge compared to mortals]]. |
| 449 | * ThemeNaming: |
| 450 | ** Most named elves thus far have pseudo-Latin monikers ending in "-ius": Aarindarius, Inkyrius, Polozius, Vaarsuvius.... Veldrina is an exception as far as other elf names are considered (not to mention how her character [[OfficialFanSubmittedContent didn't originate within the comic]]), but still matches the pseudo-Latin theme by having a female name ending in "-a". |
| 451 | ** Most named kobolds have a twin-syllable name: Yikyik, Yokyok, Kilkil, Yukyuk. The only known exception is among the gag names from the GladiatorGames: [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0782.html Notseenicus]], who fought Offpanelio, [[CanisLatinicus off-panel and unseen]]. |
| 452 | ** Durkon and his [[EvilCounterpart opposite numbers]] share a "[[LukeNounverber Name]] [[ElementalPowers Element]][[LukeNounverber Item]]" naming pattern (Hilgya ''Firehelm'', Leeky ''Windstaff''), [[spoiler:until Malack comes along that is. Although his real name hasn't been revealed yet, and could easily fit the theme too.]] |
| 453 | ** Lord Shojo, his nephew Hinjo, and Shojo's late father Lord Ronjo (name given in ''War and [=XPs=]''). |
| 454 | ** The Empire of Blood is very big on hemo-themed names. For that matter, the three competing Empires of Blood, Sweat and Tears. |
| 455 | ** All of the major adventuring groups have a theme around the comic's artistic style in some way. The Order of the Stick refers to [[StickFigureComic stick figures]], the Linear Guild obviously is named after lines, which again is what most of the characters' limbs are composed of, the Order of the Scribble's name references how their first major appearances were as crayon scribbles, and the Vector Legion's name is based around how a vector is a line segment, which in turn links back to how everyone's limbs are lines. |
| 456 | * TheoryOfNarrativeCausality: And they know the world works that way. Especially Elan. Tarquin takes it up to eleven and in the most horrifying way possible, being perfectly willing to die at his son's hands as long as it will cement his place in history. Even worse, he comes to the conclusion that [[spoiler:if he kills Roy and Durkon, than Elan will have to become the "true" hero of the story.]] |
| 457 | * ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Vaarsuvius disintegrates a black dragon in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0186.html "Return of the Elf"]]. Much later, the dragon's mother wants to avenge its death... but not by killing Vaarsuvius. And not ''just'' by eating V's family alive, either, but by then using a necromancy spell to [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0629.html bind their dead souls to itself]]. How does Vaarsuvius react? After agreeing to a [[DealWithTheDevil "Soul Splice"]], Vaarsuvius not only defeats the dragon in combat, but re-animates the dragon's head ''just'' so it can watch V cast an [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0639.html epic necromancy spell]] that kills off [[spoiler: each and every last one of the dragon's relatives -- an estimated one-quarter of the world's ''entire black dragon population'']], before disintegrating the dragon's head off to finish it off for good. |
| 458 | * ThereWasADoor: |
| 459 | ** But, as [[InvokedTrope Elan observes]], a dramatic entrance is [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0589.html far preferable]]. |
| 460 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0976.html So close]]. Flesh golems don't corner well. |
| 461 | ** Later, the same golem doesn't bother at all with the door and straight bursts through a wall [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0979.html to have a chat with its creators.]] |
| 462 | * TheyJustDontGetIt: Because their god Thor occasionally strikes trees with his lightning, the dwarves as a whole consider trees as their mortal enemies. Trying to argue with them that they are inoffensive, inanimate plants is bound to failure. Including when the explanation is given by ''Thor himself'' to a pair of his clerics. |
| 463 | * TheyStillBelongToUsLecture: Nale almost succeeds in convincing Elan that Haley has been evil all along, but then she overcomes her mental block against speaking and tells him the truth. |
| 464 | * TheyWereHoldingYouBack: Tarquin believes this trope applies to Elan, thinking that he is being held back by the rest of the party from being TheHero. So [[spoiler:he attempts to have the rest of the party killed so Elan can be the hero of the story.]] |
| 465 | * ThickerThanWater: |
| 466 | ** Elan has a huge blind spot for this trope, determined that his brother and father are redeemable when all the evidence is to the contrary. Nale clearly has no such qualms, and is determined to [[CainAndAbel destroy his brother.]] |
| 467 | ** Nale [[spoiler:apparently expects his father to be as forgiving as Elan, but is proved wrong. Tarquin jumped through hoops to shield his Evil son from his own mistakes, but when Nale furiously demands that he wants no special treatment, Tarquin kills him.]] |
| 468 | * ThievesGuild: [[MoreCriminalsThanTargets They practically own Greysky City.]] |
| 469 | * ThirdPersonPerson: '''thog talk like this.''' In fact, most orcs do; it's a function of a low Int score -- and most orcs being barbarian types, it tends to be a dump stat. This is eventually lampshaded when one orc abandons a chase to attend grammar class, hoping to learn personal pronouns. |
| 470 | * ThisIsForEmphasisBitch: |
| 471 | ** Xykon gives a memorable one to Redcloak in ''Start of Darkness''. |
| 472 | ** Haley in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0396.html "The Door Knocks on YOU"]]. |
| 473 | --->'''Haley:''' SNEAK ATTACK -- BITCH! |
| 474 | ** Vaarsuvius in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0800.html "Right Tool for the Job"]]. |
| 475 | --->'''Vaarsuvius:''' I may be in error, but I believe the appropriate proclamation is, "Sneak Attack, bitch." |
| 476 | * ThisIsGonnaSuck: Lee's reaction to a phone call from a [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0667.html Ms. Tiamat]]. Doesn't help that the phone is spewing forth elemental energy and she's apparently waiting on Lines 2, 3, 5, 8 ''and'' 11. |
| 477 | * ThisIsNotADrill: Haley's Self-Loathing Alter Ego, [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0381.html calling all hands on deck]]. |
| 478 | * ThisIsNotMyLifeToTake: Belkar, of all people, does this [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0612.html here]] and [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0616.html here]]. |
| 479 | * ThreeTwoOne: In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0078.html "Unfinished Business"]], Roy counts down from three while the party rests, fully expecting a visit from the ghost of his dead father. |
| 480 | -->'''Eugene Greenhilt:''' What, I'm that predictable now? |
| 481 | * ThresholdGuardians: The Tests of the Body, Mind and Heart on the way to the Oracle in the Sunken Valley. [[spoiler:The Order outsmarts the Test of the Body, solves the Test of the Mind with violence, and the Test of the Heart is literally testing your pulse and blood pressure to see if you'll have a heart attack after hearing the Oracle's prophecy or not.]] |
| 482 | * ThroatLight: |
| 483 | ** In the prequel book ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickStartOfDarkness Start of Darkness]]'', Redcloak has light pouring from his eyes, throat and holy symbol the very first time he puts on the [[ArtifactOfDoom Crimson Mantle]]. |
| 484 | ** In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1148.html strip, #1148]], the Deva processing Durkon's resurrection has yellow light pouring from his eyes and throat. It's bright enough that Durkon and Minrah have to close their eyes when he briefly talks to them. |
| 485 | * ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: |
| 486 | ** Combined with ShootTheRope. Zig-zagged actually, because Roy chucks his broken sword at the nooses of his allies, severing V's, Elan's, and Haley's ropes but missing Belkar's... however, the sword instead kills the executioner, and he falls over dead, activating Belkar's gallows... but again, Belkar is too light for the gallows to work. Though if Roy hadn't shown up at that point, the rogues could have easily pincushioned him when they realized the noose wasn't made for halflings. |
| 487 | ** Averted in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1019.html "Withdrawn"]]. Though the sword might have hit had the target not teleported at that exact moment. |
| 488 | * ThunderboltIron: Roy's reforged sword. But it's alloyed with it rather than made of the stuff. |
| 489 | * TimeAbyss: The gods are stated to be older than the world, but that doesn't really show the scale of their lifespans. [[spoiler:The gods have been trying to contain the Snarl for a long time. How long? Every time the Snarl escapes and destroys a world they have created, the gods erect a monument in a sealed-off demi-plane. They make gradual improvements, but the number of monuments still blots out the sky, and that doesn't count whatever is off-panel.]] |
| 490 | * TimeForPlanB: |
| 491 | ** Belkar has a tendency to comment on this trope; in one strip he says "Run like hell" has always struck him as plan A, and later he spends a series of strips announcing the letter of every new plan his teammates came up with. |
| 492 | --->'''Belkar:''' Didn't we go through this already? We're on like plan Q.... And plan R starts to take form. |
| 493 | ** When Roy, Durkon and Belkar are attacked by a whole squadron of troops from the Empire of Blood, and Durkon points out that he's out of spells until he can pray at dusk, Roy says "Let's call surviving until dusk, 'Plan A.'" He's clearly implying that there's no way they can as such, outnumbered as they are, and that it's more than time for a plan B. |
| 494 | * TimeSkip: When [[spoiler:Roy is in heaven]], he loses track of time, and as a result the narrative sticks with him for three months before we find out what the scattered party members have been doing in the meantime. |
| 495 | * TimeStandsStill: |
| 496 | ** The Time Stop spell. |
| 497 | ** From the moment the IFCC steps on the island to offer Vaarsuvius a DealWithTheDevil, time is stopped for the rest of the world, as they don't like to rush this kind of transaction. |
| 498 | * TimeToStepUpCommander: |
| 499 | ** A panicked Haley is told to pull it together by Durkon after Roy is put out of action during the battle of Azure City, Durkon reminding her that she's Roy's second-in-command. |
| 500 | ** She later delivers one herself to Thanh when she leaves the Azure City resistance. |
| 501 | * ToBeLawfulOrGood: Both Roy and Miko run into this one. Roy manages to navigate his way around it with some clever talking and genuinely LawfulGood intentions. Miko, on the other hand... |
| 502 | * TokenMinority: Borderline, in that half the party isn't even human, but Roy's still the only black guy. In the party at least -- there's still a fairly liberal spread of skin pigmentation in the rest of the world, Azure City notwithstanding. |
| 503 | %%* TooDumbToFool: Happens to Elan and Thog once in a while. Averted just as often, though. |
| 504 | * TooDumbToLive: |
| 505 | ** [[spoiler:Nale seems genuinely surprised when Tarquin kills him, but he had provoked his father quite sorely up to that point with absolutely nothing to back it up; after disappointing Tarquin yet again and irritating him by confusing Tarquin's attempts to play a long game with weakness, Nale spitefully brags about how he killed Malack, Tarquin's best friend, and furiously rebuffs all of Tarquin's attempts to smooth things out. When Nale exclaims he wants ''nothing'' from his father, Tarquin sighs, says he understands... and stabs Nale in the chest, killing him almost instantly.]] |
| 506 | --->'''Tarquin:''' [[spoiler:Really, Nale, you would have been dead years ago if it weren't for my protection.]] |
| 507 | ** The gnomes of Tinkertown [[spoiler:really should know better than to stand around gawking at a rampaging golem. Meanwhile, their security force tries to arrest the [=PCs=] fighting the golem, and inadvertently {{heal|ItWithFire}} it with a LightningGun.]] |
| 508 | ** [[spoiler:At the Godsmoot, Gontor quickly learns that getting himself alone with a [[AlwaysChaoticEvil vampire]] cleric -- whom he knows has a vested interest in [[TheVirus making more vampire clerics]] -- and then admitting both that he's out of powerful magic and doesn't receive the Godsmoot's protection is a [[ReforgedIntoAMinion terminally bad idea]].]] |
| 509 | * TookALevelInBadass: |
| 510 | ** Elan, ''literally''. Well, he took a level in Dashing Swordsman, which is Badass with [[HurricaneOfPuns puns]] and {{Flynning}}. If looked at from a mechanical perspective, it becomes even more badass as it makes him the most [[MinMaxing optimized]] character in the party (in contrast to a group that includes a fighter with high Intelligence, a wizard who bans the most useful schools of magic while focusing on the worst and a cleric who uses healing spells instead of shutting down encounters), allowing all his abilities to work off a single high attribute. |
| 511 | ** Mr. Scruffy went from the pampered pet of a noble ruler to a ranger's animal companion, i.e. a walking cat-shaped weapon. He still longs for the times he was pampered, but is nonetheless entirely loyal to Belkar. |
| 512 | * TooSpicyForYogSothoth: Or rather, [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0030.html too insipid]] a brain for a mind flayer to consider eating. |
| 513 | * TortureIsIneffective: Redcloak and Xykon torture the captured Azure City paladin O'Chul for weeks to try and get information on Girard's Gate from him. O'Chul sincerely doesn't know squat, and despite the torture he retains the presence of mind to memorize Xykon's entire spell list, which he passes on to the Order of the Stick after he's freed. |
| 514 | * TotalPartyKill: [[spoiler:With the [[SoleSurvivor sole exception]] of Niu, the Azure City Resistance is completely wiped out by Redcloak.]] |
| 515 | * ToThePain: Elan has a rather... [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0101.html unconventional]] version of this, but it works anyway. |
| 516 | -->'''Elan:''' But me, I have a different method of persuasion. Tell us what we need to know, OR--\ |
| 517 | '''Goblin teen:''' Do your worst!\ |
| 518 | '''Elan:''' --I'll cry. You heard me. I'll start bawling like a toddler who dropped their ice cream on the sidewalk. In front of your friends, your teachers, any girls you like. And I'll tell them it's because YOU won't be my friend. \ |
| 519 | '''Goblin teen:''' You wouldn't.\ |
| 520 | '''Elan:''' I think I'm misting up already. |
| 521 | * TrademarkFavoriteFood: |
| 522 | ** Hobgoblins ''love'' gouda. |
| 523 | ** The Monster in the Darkness loves stew. |
| 524 | * TrainingMontage: {{Subverted}}, parodied and {{invoked}} in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0391.html "Eye of the Tiger, Baby"]]. |
| 525 | * TranslationYes: The bonus art [[http://www.giantitp.com/Images/CafePress2013/DrowHandSigns.png "Common Drow Hand Signs"]] veers into this. A single gesture can mean "literally dripping in poison", and a female drow pointing at her chest is "If we live in a matriarchy, why do we always dress like this?" On the other hand, "soup" require several full-body moves. |
| 526 | * TrapIsTheOnlyOption: |
| 527 | ** A very odd version crops up during the "Don't Split the Party" arc. Elan insists that they stay caught in a net trap, stating that even if they easily escape there will be something that captures them ''anyway'' or else the first trap [[BreakingTheFourthWall wouldn't have even been shown]] and it's probably the least painful way of going about it to just be captured by the simple net. Daigo and Durkon ignore him, press on while Elan stays under the net, and are beaten bloody and captured by orcs while Elan stays unharmed under the net. Elan admits he's having to seriously resist an IToldYouSo as they're all being dragged off. |
| 528 | ** In [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1236.html "No Strings"]], Elan is lured away from the party by his lute moved through telekinesis, and while no longer fool enough to fall for it, is charmed into following anyway. The rest of the Order are perfectly aware this is an obvious trap, but refuse to let the party be split again, since they had very bad experiences about it, so they rush alongside to rescue Elan. |
| 529 | * TravelingAtTheSpeedOfPlot: Julio's ship, ''The Mechane'' does this. He tells Roy [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0937.html he can get to the North in ten days, eight if the world's in danger]], saying outright the ship flies faster if the stakes are higher. |
| 530 | -->'''Julio Scoundrèl:''' ...I've been doing this more than 30 years and I've never arrived anywhere earlier than the nick of time. |
| 531 | * TravelTransformation: Some examples from its ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''-inspired RPGMechanicsVerse: |
| 532 | ** Durkon the [[ReligionIsMagic Cleric]] uses the ''wind walk'' spell to let the party travel at high speed in [[SuperSmoke cloud form]]. This lets them fly and bypass anti-teleportation spells, but leaves them vulnerable to high winds. |
| 533 | ** Vampires can transform into SuperSmoke at will, which lets them fly [[spoiler:onto the Order's airship]] and helps them evade notice. |
| 534 | * {{Treants}}: Durkon does not like trees, viewing them as CombatTentacles-equipped StoneWall {{Giant Mook}}s that just aren't moving ''yet''. However, when he faces actual treants animated by a crazed druid that sent them on a rampage against civilization (and that had been made resistant to everything but Sonic damage) he [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0352.html figures out a way to deal with them]]. |
| 535 | * {{Treebuchet}}: Belkar sets one off on Durkon after the dwarf had already climbed a palm tree (to fight it, of course). |
| 536 | * TrickedIntoEscaping: Miko Miyazaki thinks she's escaping from Xykon, [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0376.html but in fact]], Xykon wants her to return to Azure City so that he can magically track her to the thing he's after. |
| 537 | -->'''Xykon:''' So? Did she escape yet or what?\ |
| 538 | '''Redcloak:''' She's riding off into the proverbial sunset as we speak.\ |
| 539 | '''Xykon:''' Well it's about time! I was starting to think that I'd researched that "Xykon's Moderately-Escapable Forcecage" spell for nothing. |
| 540 | * TriggerHappy: Vaarsuvius is this [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0679.html by their own self-diagnosis]], provided we can equate magic to gunplay. [[spoiler: They get better.]] |
| 541 | -->'''Vaarsuvius:''' I have been such a fool, and yet I have learned nothing! I still evoke first and make inquiries afterward! |
| 542 | * TriviallyObvious: [[DeadpanSnarker Tarquin]] to Sabine. |
| 543 | -->'''Tarquin:''' Sabine! It's been too long. You're looking lovely.\ |
| 544 | '''Sabine:''' That's a meaningless compliment to a shapechanger, Tarquin.\ |
| 545 | '''Tarquin:''' Yes, I know. |
| 546 | * TrojanPrisoner: |
| 547 | ** A disguised Sabine with Pompey in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0356.html "Knight Takes Pawn"]]. |
| 548 | ** Improvised by Elan with Thog in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0387.html "The Cliffport Redemption"]]. |
| 549 | * TheTropeFormerlyKnownAsX: Among the suggested [[InSeriesNickname In-Series Nicknames]] for a vampire is "The Corpse Formerly Known as [[spoiler:Durkon]]." |
| 550 | * TropeName: [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0295.html The Illusory Belkar.]] |
| 551 | -->'''Illusory Belkar:''' Generic comment questioning your parentage.\ |
| 552 | '''Guard 1:''' Oh, that is IT! I have had it with this guy's trash talk!\ |
| 553 | '''Guard 2:''' Calm down, Joemin, he's just trying to get you riled up.\ |
| 554 | '''Illusory Belkar:''' Mumbled statement disparaging your masculinity. |
| 555 | * TrueCompanions: The Order, despite their issues and quarrels. |
| 556 | * TrustPassword: Haley and her dad have one they use when contacting each other via Sending. |
| 557 | * TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard: Done by name in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0374.html "Black and Blue"]]. |
| 558 | -->'''Miko:''' I am Miko Miyazaki, samurai of the Sapphire Guard, loyal vassal of Lord Shojo, [[IAmXSonOfY daughter of Eyko]], and paladin of the Twelve Gods of the South.\ |
| 559 | '''Monster in the Darkness:''' Neat! It must be hard to fit that on your business cards, though. |
| 560 | * TwoScenesOneDialogue: The revelation of [[spoiler:the secret behind the three empires of Blood, Sweat and Tears]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0758.html happens in two spots at the same time]]: on the celebration balcony between Elan and Tarquin, and in a Bloodstone prison cell between Ian, Geoff and Roy. |
| 561 | * TwoWordsAddedEmphasis: A few times. |
| 562 | ** Early on, Xykon states: |
| 563 | --->'''Xykon''' Well, I've got two words for [[VillainousDemotivator goblin morale]]: Goblin zombies. |
| 564 | ** Its [[IfItWasFunnyTheFirstTime regularity]] is lampshaded: |
| 565 | --->'''Bozzok:''' I only have two words to say to you anyway -- ''Sneak Att--''\ |
| 566 | '''Haley:''' ''[kills Bozzok's flanker]'' Oh my gods. I've done that "two words" gag like 9 times already! You're going to need to get some fresher material if you want to be a villain in this story.\ |
| 567 | '''Bozzok:''' Damn it!\ |
| 568 | '''Haley:''' Ooo, I take it back! Those are a different two words. |
| 569 | [[/folder]] |
| 570 | |
| 571 | [[folder:U]] |
| 572 | * UncertainDoom: |
| 573 | ** [[spoiler:Thog]] is never seen or heard from again after Roy collapses the stadium on top of him. Tarquin later implies he may still be alive and in jail though. |
| 574 | ** We never find out if [[spoiler:Miron and Laurin]] managed to escape from [[spoiler:the Snarl]]. |
| 575 | * UmbrellaDrink: Sabine enjoys one in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0252.html "Linear Storytelling"]]. And several more in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0385.html "A Sympathetic Ear"]] while trying to get drunk. |
| 576 | * UndergroundMonkey: |
| 577 | ** Belkar mentions an instance in which he randomly encountered Dire Camels in a swamp, of all places. |
| 578 | * UndyingLoyalty: Quite literally in the case of the Sapphire Guard, whose loyalty to their vows to the Order last past death, enabling them to come back as deadly ghosts. |
| 579 | * UnequalRites: A minor but important part of the setting is that, much as many wizards look down on everyone else, they particularly look down on other arcane magic-using classes. Xykon mentions being regarded as a moron by other wizards for being a sorcerer, while in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0677.html "This Never Happens to Jiminy Cricket"]], Vaarsuvius finally blows their stack for being referred to as a warlock. A post from the resultant forum query over why being called a warlock is an even worse insult to a wizard than being called a sorcerer is [[UnequalRites the page quote]]. In V's case, the implication that warlocks have probably made a DealWithTheDevil likely hit ''particularly'' close to home, since they had done that very thing not too long ago. |
| 580 | * UnevenHybrid: The [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0842.html Draketooths]] were descended from a black dragon and a human. [[spoiler:Which meant that Vaarsuvius's familicide spell that killed off roughly a quarter of the black dragon species got them too.]] |
| 581 | * TheUnfettered: Both Redcloak and Xykon are Unfettered, although completely different variants. |
| 582 | ** Xykon simply doesn't give a damn about anyone or anything except himself. |
| 583 | ** Redcloak, meanwhile, is utterly devoted to the plan, to the point of [[spoiler:murdering his own brother]]. |
| 584 | * UnicornsPreferVirgins: In one of the book-only strips, the Order encounters a unicorn. Haley tries to pass herself off as a "maiden of virtue", and the unicorn falls over laughing. |
| 585 | * UnifiedNamingSystem: The precursor adventuring party to the titular Order of the Stick is called the Order of the Scribble. Both parties are out to save the world from being destroyed by the same threat. |
| 586 | * UnlikelyHero: In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0901.html "Friend of a Friend"]], the Monster in the Darkness asks Xykon which one is the more worthy opponent: the never-broken paladin that [[spoiler:survived his capital city's demise and is one of the last remaining defenders of Soon's Gate]], or the random guy with a generic revenge backstory? When put like that, Roy Greenhilt doesn't look much like a protagonist. |
| 587 | * UnmournedDeath: When Tsukiko (a delusional necromancer who thought her wights loved her as she loved them) is murdered by Redcloak (who overrode her control of her wights to kill her), the Monster in the Darkness is the only one to think her death is sad. |
| 588 | * UnnecessaryCombatRoll: By an ''Allosaurus'', [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0923.html no less]]. {{Justified|trope}}, in that it's the result of overbalancing after a leaping attack, but still very much [[RuleOfCool played for awesomeness]]. |
| 589 | * TheUnpronounceable: |
| 590 | ** Several characters are unable to pronounce "Xykon" correctly. He can hear it when people say "Zykon" instead, and gets angry about it. Though it is more like a "spelling" problem than a "pronunciation" one (the joke being that Xykon can "hear" the wrong spelling). |
| 591 | ** From ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickStartOfDarkness Start of Darkness]]'', there is a lizardman (who [[TheNicknamer Xykon]] calls "Scaly") who informs Xykon that his name is "Ekdysdioksosiirwo, Viridian lord of--" at which point the sorcerer zaps him with lightning, saying that it is too long to remember. This is what prompts Redcloak to give fake names for himself (Redcloak, of course) [[spoiler:and his younger brother, Right-Eye]]. |
| 592 | ** In the strip "...And It Feels So Good", a Modron (outsider from the LawfulNeutral plane) responder for the Pandemonium customer service center give its name as... "(1.67×10[[superscript:15]])Q". |
| 593 | * UnreliableExpositor: |
| 594 | ** The witnesses that explain what the Order of the Stick had been doing when they saw them to Miko Miyazaki always make them look villainous. One even confuses them with their evil counterpart the Linear Guild. |
| 595 | ** Everything we hear about the gods, the Snarl, and the creation of the world until quite late in the story comes from people with limited perspectives working from incomplete information. Some is true, some is BroadStrokes or a matter of perspective, some is missing vital context, and some is somebody else's incorrect conclusions presented as fact. Even information from the gods directly responsible who are actively trying to be helpful is unreliable because they don't know some things and have overlooked massive flaws InherentInTheSystem. A big part of the endgame is the heroes finding out what's really going on and sorting out how to deal with it. |
| 596 | * UnreliableVoiceover: The story Hilgya tells of her "unhappy marriage" doesn't quite match the flashbacks that are shown simultaneously. |
| 597 | * UnresolvedSexualTension: Lampshaded, then [[DefiedTrope beaten remorselessly into the ground with a large blunt object]] in one of the "deleted scenes" in the ''Don't Split the Party'' collection. Elan decides that there is UST between [[spoiler:Lien and Hinjo]] and sets out to play matchmaker. The results are not what he expected... |
| 598 | * TheUnreveal: |
| 599 | ** The Monster in the Darkness has yet to step out of the shadows to reveal what he is. |
| 600 | ** A mask behind a mask in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0852.html "Under the Helmet"]]. Once again Tarquin displays his genre savvyness. |
| 601 | ** There's one in the coloring book, of all things. Is Vaarsuvius a boy or a girl? Circle your answer. According to the answer in the back, [[spoiler:that's very interesting, and probably says a lot about how you view gender roles.]] |
| 602 | * UnsoundEffect: Among others: "Sunder!", "sneak sneak", "Deflect!", "AOO!" (Attack of Opportunity), "swinganamiss!", "[[GroinAttack Nuts!]]" and "snapoutta". |
| 603 | * UnspokenPlanGuarantee: |
| 604 | ** {{Invoked|Trope}} (and {{defied|Trope}}) in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0836.html "Best Laid Plans"]], with Elan's plan for dealing with Tarquin. |
| 605 | ** Tarquin naturally knows of this rule too, as demonstrated in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0882.html "It's a Boy"]]. |
| 606 | ** Malack explains to Durkon in detail his plan to [[spoiler:inherit the three empires after Tarquin and the rest of his group have died of old age so he can sacrifice a thousand people a day to his god.]] A few dozen strips later, [[spoiler:Malack is destroyed, so this will never happen.]] |
| 607 | ** Elan invokes it again [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0971.html in regards to Haley's newly-purchased wands]]. |
| 608 | --->'''Elan:''' If you don't say out loud what you got, then there's a better chance that they'll be exactly the spell you need later. |
| 609 | ** Belkar spends most of a strip [[InnerMonologue mentally planning]] how to defeat a Goliath, only for the fight to go [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1026.html very differently]]. |
| 610 | * UnusualChapterNumbers: The two prequel books are numbered [[EpisodeZeroTheBeginning volume 0 and volume -1.]] The book about major NPC backstories and current events is volume 1/2, while the book full of non-canon stories is [[CountingToPotato volume D]]. |
| 611 | * UnusualEuphemism: |
| 612 | ** Belkar just loves these. |
| 613 | --->'''Belkar:''' Hey, Sweet Thing, wanna hold my Rod of Lordly Might? If you push the right button, it might extend!\ |
| 614 | '''Belkar:''' Go ahead and start a solo adventure. I'll be in to join the quest when I'm done eating. |
| 615 | ** Also Roy's "Treasure Type O". |
| 616 | ** Xykon, with a modicum of ironic respect, acknowledges that O'Chul has [[BrassBalls +5 Holy Cojones]]. |
| 617 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0710.html Most of strip #710.]] |
| 618 | ** Tarquin gets accused of being a Slime Mold. |
| 619 | ** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0794.html "You were just playtesting the grapple rules with my brother's tongue!"]] |
| 620 | * UnusuallyUninterestingSight: |
| 621 | ** Winged Girl Celia walking (and flying) around Azure City. |
| 622 | ** When Elan and Tarquin are [[spoiler:discussing Tarquin's governing methods and eventually swordfighting when Elan disagrees with his father's political philosophy,]] the Empress of Blood is sitting nearby on her throne. There's no indication that she notices or cares about any of it. |
| 623 | * UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: The Monster in the Darkness becomes this with the revelation that [[spoiler: the dungeons protecting Kraagor's Gate are all one big shell game. Xykon has been falling for it so far, but as shown by the siege of Azure City, he knows how to run a shell game. Sooner or later, he's going to realize what's been going on, and the Monster, in attempting to hobble Team Evil by crossing out additional doors, has made that point likely to arrive ''sooner'' rather than ''later.'']] |
| 624 | * UnwittingPawn: |
| 625 | ** [[spoiler:Vaarsuvius, The Linear Guild, and Xykon all play prominent roles in the Fiends' ultimate plan. With the possible exception of Sabine, no-one is aware they're being used.]] |
| 626 | ** On top of that, [[spoiler:[[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0830.html "Tidying Up"]] reveals that Redcloak has been manipulating Xykon from the beginning.]] |
| 627 | * UriahGambit: Cynically [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0757.html resorted to by General Tarquin]]. |
| 628 | -->'''Amun-Zora:''' I am '''already''' married!!\ |
| 629 | '''Tarquin:''' Yes, you mentioned that. To a pikeman on the... south wall, was it? I assure you that your marital status is no longer an obstacle as of around midday today. |
| 630 | * UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: |
| 631 | ** When Elan calls Tarquin out for deceiving the people of the Western Continent, Tarquin reasons that his plan might someday bring an end to the wars that kill tens of thousands of people every year. Of course, since [[spoiler: he planned to hand over power to Minister Malack, [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0875.html who would sacrifice hundreds of thousands a year,]] all that will end is the chaotic fighting, not the deaths.]] |
| 632 | ** Redcloak is willing to do anything, including [[spoiler:murder his own little brother, or let the world be destroyed so The Dark One could help rebuild it]] to carry out The Plan and create a goblin utopia. |
| 633 | [[/folder]] |
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