Line #49 Webcomic/DungeonsAndDoodlesTalesFromTheTables


1	[[quoteright:400:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dndtalesfromthetablecover.jpg]]
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3	''[[https://tapas.io/episode/2225038 Dungeons & Doodles: Tales from the Tables]]'' is a webcomic by Polish-Canadian artist [=DoodlePoodle=] set in the TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms settings based on ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsFifthEdition 5th Edition rules]], revolving around Angela Hawthorne and her party as they embark on adventures in the Sword Coast helping people and fighting evildoers. The comic explores and pokes fun at tropes that are prevalent in the tabletop game.
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5	The comic's first page was posted to Website/TwitterX on 30 June 2021 as a side project to the ongoing real-life campaign in which [=DoodlePoodle=] is one of the players, playing Angela as mentioned earlier. Since then, it has been updated with a new page every month.
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7	The Main Cast as of this writing consists of:
8	* [[TheHero Angela Hawthorne]], a human paladin who seeks to [[ClearTheirName clear the name of her falsely convicted father]];
9	* [[WhiteMagicianGirl Eriawynn Jhaeros]], a wood elf cleric;
10	* [[LovableRogue Redwen]], a tiefling rogue;
11	* [[{{Keet}} Rumples Rockfist]], a mountain dwarf fighter who is played by a little girl;
12	* [[GentleGiant Rudolph]], a firbolg barbarian;
13	* [[GameMaster The Forever DM]], an unearthly being responsible for running the campaigns in which the adventurers partake in.
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15	''[[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJh5hsZ50UsbByJx5ttJRBUYN7-2cwbhZ The Best Available]]'', a Dungeons & Dragons ActualPlay taking place within the same setting but in an AlternateContinuity with Angela in a different party, is currently in the works and can be watched on Website/YouTube.
16	----
17	!!''Well met, fellow Tropers! I seek Tropes for a noble quest!''
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19	* ActionInsuranceGag: The Session Zero Tavern & Inn where the party regularly hung out since the first episode finds itself getting destroyed now and then by a destructive patron. Fortunately, the tavernkeeper who runs it receives insurance every time it happens.
20	-->'''Tavernkeeper:''' Ha ha no worries, lass. Half this tavern's income comes from insurance.
21	* {{Animesque}}: The comic's overall art style has some anime influences to it, with the use of {{Sweat Drop}}s and the characters sometimes having their expressions comically exaggerated.
22	* BeggarWithASignboard: As a result of Eriawynn losing most of the party's funds in Episode 19, they're shown in the next episode panhandling on a street in Waterdeep, even using Angela's shield as a signboard.
23	-->'''Sign:''' WILL FIGHT MONSTERS FOR COINS
24	* {{Bookends}}: The final panel of episode 24 has Redwen saying the same thing Angela said in the end of the first episode when the Forever DM lampshades her acting outside of her alignment. But unlike Angela, who burned down a tavern upon hitting her RageBreakingPoint, Redwen's [[spoiler:giving up the treasure that would have gotten them back in money in order to resurrect a kid murdered by Tsiflam]] is unexpectedly altruistic for the "Chaotic Questionable" rogue she is.
25	* BrokeEpisode: The party in Episode 19 find a huge cut of their loot all gone in one day because Eriawynn paid a huge sum for a powerful magic item, the ''[[TakeThat Non-Fungible Trident]]'', which turns out to be [[JokeItem a paper certificate to a weapon they can neither touch nor see]].
26	* CerebusSyndrome: While the comic is mostly lighthearted and comedic, things take a serious turn on occasion. Episode 29 in particular is when the comic began to focus a little more on the characters' {{Story Arc}}s, shedding light on some of their DarkAndTroubledPast as well as working towards resolving those, one episode at a time.
27	* ChestMonster: The classic ''D&D'' mimic shows up twice.
28	** First in "I Worked Hard on This", the Forever DM [[{{Troll}} discreetly replaces a genuine treasure chest with a mimic]] because the party is coming up with a plan to bypass all his dungeon traps (and are taking their sweet time planning it out) much to his annoyance.
29	** Then in "Echoes of the Past", Eriawynn is too hasty in checking a big chest, despite Redwen warning her out, and ends up almost swallowed whole. She really ought to have [[FailedASpotCheck noticed the eyes all over it]] before opening it.
30	* ColorblindConfusion: Redwen suffers this when she recklessly attempts to use her InnateNightVision to navigate a series of pressure plates marked out as traps with red paint, not realizing that darkvision suffers from greyscale colorblindness.
31	* ContinuityNod: Laeral Silverhand in Episode 32 reveals that the wizard Tsiflam's research is backed by some of the Masked Lords of Waterdeep, to find means of addressing the [[VideoGame/BaldursGateIII Illithid threat that just emerged in Baldur's Gate]] as they say.
32	* {{Crossover}}: With ''Webcomic/TheHandbookOfHeroes'' twice over. This was reciprocated with Angela having cameos a [[https://www.handbookofheroes.com/archives/comic/god-shopping couple]] [[https://www.handbookofheroes.com/archives/comic/switch-a-roo times]] in the latter webcomic.
33	** The party confronts Antipaladin in [[https://tapas.io/episode/2391592 "Don't Judge by Appearance"]]. Patches the Unkicked and Witch also show up.
34	** In [[https://tapas.io/episode/2974829 "Friends in High Places"]], the party meets with Wizard and Thief in Lady Silverhand's mansion. Redwen quite gets along with Thief, unsurprisingly.
35	* CrossoverCameo: Fellow adventurers from other ''D&D''-themed {{Webcomic}}s, as well as a few {{Original Character}}s, have made their appearances as background characters in some episodes.
36	** Before they were replaced with Eriawynn on Tapas and Webtoons, Episode 5 featured Bethaniel, Velatha and Tobias, characters from ''The Best Available'' ActualPlay who are played by the creator's fellow players in real life.
37	** Episode 9 has [[Webcomic/TheWeeklyRoll Sir Becket, Tovard]] and WebVideo/{{Shad\|iversity}} sitting in the tavern background. [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]], [[WesternAnimation/Castlevania2017 Trevor Belmont and Alucard]] also appear during the BarBrawl that ensues.
38	** Episode 15 ends things off with the party exiting a dungeon after a vicious beholder battle, only to encounter a mighty red dragon... specifically, [[https://www.youtube.com/c/DenoftheDrake Den of the Drake]], a storyteller with an interest in tales of the cringy variety. The encounter itself was showcased at the end of one of Drake's videos as seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnnvX99N6vY&t=682s here]].
39	** Episode 16 has Prestige Perkins, Dorilys Happ and Gelatinous Cube from ''Webcomic/RustyAndCo'' in the audience of the bard doing stand-up comedy. (And maybe Mimic too as a common, unassuming piece of furniture, who can tell...)
40	** The constable questioning the party in Episode 17 looks like Natalia, a police detective drawn from Polish comic artist Robert Adler (a.k.a. "Au" or "Boli-blog"). A pair of City Watch guards who arrest the party early on also look like ComicBook/GorskyAndButch from the eponymous comic made by the same artist.
41	** Episode 20 has Alice and Obi from ''[[https://www.webtoons.com/en/fantasy/1hp-club/list?title_no=2960 1 HP Club]]'' walking past the party, the latter donating a few gold coins to the party.
42	** [[https://www.youtube.com/c/yuukabear Yuuka Bear]], a VirtualYouTuber who voices Angela in the comic dub hosted by [[https://www.youtube.com/@SolusAstorias Solus Astorias]], appears in a portrait on episode 30.
43	* DragonsPreferPrincesses: Episode 12 uses the virgin variant for humor when the party is sent to deal with a dragon said to have developed a particular taste for the flesh and blood of innocent virgins, which he can supposedly smell from a mile away. The cleric and rogue aren't especially worried ("Good thing we're all adults, then"). The paladin, who it later turns out doesn't believe in premarital sex, doesn't quite share her friends' confidence. {{Subverted}} in the next episode however, as it is revealed the girls that were supposedly missing are actually maids hired to serve the BenevolentBoss bronze dragon As'trasahar.
44	* DynamicDifficulty: {{Lampshade\|Hanging}}d on a few occasions. When the party in Episode 7 attempts to bypass all the traps the Game Master has worked hard on setting up, he decides to replace one of the chests with a [[ChestMonster mimic]].
45	-->'''Eriawynn:''' What was that feeling of dread just now?\
46	'''Angela:''' Is it just me, or did the Challenge Rating of this room suddenly change?
47	* FailedASpotCheck:
48	** Redwen in Episode 10 attempts to look for traps in a hallway using only her [[InnateNightVision Darkvision]] to see them without a torch. When she sees it is all clear, she takes a step in... Only to end up triggering a trap and getting herself set on fire for her trouble. Her allies reveal that the traps were marked in red by the scholars all along -- Redwen just ''could not perceive colours through darkvision.''
49	** Eriawynn tries to open a chest found in the old mansion the party explore in "Echoes of the Past", but doesn't find out it's actually a [[ChestMonster mimic]] until it's too late.
50	* {{Flashback}}:
51	** Episodes 29 and 36 reveal parts of Angela's memories surrounding the arrest of her father, along with her mother's death that [[OrphansOrdeal badly affected her and her siblings]].
52	** Meanwhile, Episode 31 has Redwen reveal her DarkAndTroubledPast as the adopted "child" of an abusive, [[FantasticRacism racist]] noble whom she ended up killing in his sleep for taking her [[OrphansPlotTrinket locket]]. Then in Episode 35, [[spoiler:Redwen's locket points her to a MagicMirror that reveals the circumstances of her birth -- a result of the curse cast upon her parents when they made a [[DealWithTheDevil deal with a mysterious man]] to save their gemcutting business.]]
53	* FiveSecondForeshadowing: There's a poster of a MissingChild at the end of Episode 21 in the background. [[spoiler:This becomes a crucial plot point in the next few episodes, when the small intellect devourer the party found in the gutter turned out to be the same child who ended up missing after having his brain extracted and transformed by [[EvilSorcerer Tsiflam]].]]
54	* GetYourMindOutOfTheGutter: When [[LoveableSexManiac Redwen]] sees [[{{Bishonen}} Obi]] from ''1HP Club'' walking by, she attempts to make an advance towards him before Angela pulls her back, saying this word for word.
55	-->'''Redwen:''' Oh fine, fine... but just to clarify, that ain't mine. ''[[[VisualPun points towards an actual]] [[MoodWhiplash intellect devourer in the gutter]]]''
56	* GoKartingWithBowser: The party find themselves facing down a red dragon... who proceeds to invite them over for tea and biscuits to make them listen to his doorstopper-worthy list of cringy stories, leaving them shaken till their next visit to the tavern.
57	* HopeSpot: Angela finally finds the man who knows about the location where her DisappearedDad is being held prisoner. Much to her dismay however, a [[TheMillstone newly joined warlock]] gets too impatient to let her listen to vital information.
58	-->'''Guard:''' I know you're desperately searching for your father. He's alive! He's being held at— ''[[[KilledMidSentence gets stabbed from behind]]]''\
59	'''[[{{Munchkin}} Kiruto]]:''' Enough of all this RP! Can we just move on already?
60	* HouseFire: The Party in Episodes 32 to 35 is tasked with investigating the fate befalling Lady Eleanor and Lord Cedric, a married couple of jewelcrafters whose mansion burned down 20 years ago due to a curse. [[spoiler:A curse that was brought upon them as a result of a DealWithTheDevil.]] By the time Angela and co. reach their homestead, bandits of Zhentarim have already established their outpost on top of its remains.
61	* HypocriticalHumor: Redwen, Bluriel and Luv'Ander, a trio of Tiefling rogues in the first episode scoffed at Angela for being an "unoriginal" [[HumansAreAverage human]] fighter, all while in a tavern full of other rogues of the same race as them. Luv'Ander also criticises Angela's armor, calling it "sexist" for having a boob plate and skirt despite blatantly wearing ''[[{{Stripperific}} nothing but a short cape, long gloves and boots, and a thong]]''.
62	* ImagineSpot: As Angela's boyfriend Mark joins the party with his new character, she daydreamed a colourful in-game scenario where an exact lookalike of him, dressed as a KnightInShiningArmor approaches her and extends his hand toward her like a PrinceCharming that she views him as. [[spoiler:And then her world shatters when Mark's ''actual'' character turns out to be a Firbolg [[BarbarianHero barbarian]].]]
63	* JumpCut: As soon as the tiefling trio finishes bullying Angela, the next panel shows the Session Zero Tavern in the background destroyed and set ablaze, implied to be Angela's doing.
64	* MadnessMantra: [[https://tapas.io/episode/2625261 In episode 19,]] Angela keeps repeating to herself "Must uphold my oath..." to resist the temptation of strangling Eriawynn for wasting all of their money on a worthless certificate for a magic item they can't ever get. Redwen, on the other hand, has no such restraints.
65	* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Redwen in Episode 6 casually talks to Eriawynn as the cleric casts ''Cure Wounds'' on her while ''a tomahawk is sticking out of her cranium''.
66	* MookHorrorShow: The Zhentarim bandits in Episode 33 end up on the receiving end of an invisible axe-swinging barbarian's rampage, getting chopped down and tossed around helplessly by his might. The Party comments upon it, seeing it as the [[NatureHero nature-loving Firbolg]] manifesting as the [[GaiasVengeance wrath of the forests]] coming upon them for cutting down too many trees for their stakewalls.
67	* NothingIsScarier: PlayedForLaughs. The GenreSavvy party in Episode 3 all huddle together in a haphazard defensive formation, with terrified expressions on their faces as they prepare for an ambush in a dark room that "''[[EmptyRoomPsych seems]]'' empty".
68	* NotWhatISignedOnFor: The party in Episode 13 took up the quest to slay a dragon, not help it with ''family therapy''.
69	* OutOfCharacterMoment: The Dungeon Master lampshades this when [[KnightInShiningArmor Angela]] [[spoiler:and later on, [[OnlyInItForTheMoney Redwen]]]] act out of their established moral alignment.
70	-->'''The Forever DM:''' So about your [[LawfulGood alignment]]...\
71	'''Angela:''' ''[after burning down the tavern]'' I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!
72	* PrecisionFStrike: [[spoiler:When Alexander, the devil that Redwen's parents made their deal with, [[KickTheDog incinerates one of his army]], a group of Tieflings he pressed into his service through his deals, Angela gets ''furious'', calling him a [[YouMonster monster]] and a "vile son of a bitch."]]
73	* PressurePlate: Episode 10 has a room full of pressure plates, thankfully previously marked by scholars. Unfortunately, Redwen tries checking the room by darkvision alone before going through, missing all the red markings (since darkvision doesn't show colors). ''BOOOOM!''
74	* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: The Dungeon Master pulls this on [[{{Munchkin}} Kiruto]] the warlock in episode 8, giving Angela the [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands ability to smite]] despite her being a fighter at the time.
75	-->'''Kiruto:''' ''[as a ghost]'' It's not fair, how can she even smite? She's not even a {{Paladin}}!\
76	'''The DM:''' You know what? Just for you, I'll allow it.
77	* ShoutOut:
78	** Some episodes end with a ''"To Be Continued..."'' arrow-sign that looks awfully similar to the one used in ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure''.
79	** The {{Pressure Plate}}s signaled by red markings in episode 10 are spoofing ''VideoGame/{{Minesweeper}}''.
80	** Redwen, trying to demonstrate she can do magic in episode 17, does so with a cantrip causing dramatic lighting and a booming voice while reciting Galadriel's infamous hammy speech from ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings''.
81	** Rudolph's eyes flash yellow as he prepares a killing blow behind an unsuspecting bandit while invisible, as a homage to ''Film/{{Predator}}''.
82	--->'''Rumples:''' Rudolph! You son of a [[GoshDangItToHeck biscuit]]!
83	* SmashCut: Right after the Tieflings insult Angela, we smash cut to the tavern in flames.
84	-->'''The Forever DM:''' So, about your alignment...\
85	'''Angela:''' I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!
86	* TakeThat: Episode 27 introduces TheMillstone of the infamous Kender race to the party, who serves as their temporary guide through a dungeon they were in. All while [[BorrowedWithoutPermission "Borrowing"]] items from said party and [[LeeroyJenkins charging blindly at danger head-on]] instead of sneaking around them. The party, save for Angela who is unaware of their plan, all resort to stuffing the Kender inside the chest.
87	* TemptingFate: [[https://tapas.io/episode/2519745 Episode 15]] has Rumples the dwarf unwisely boasting, "HA! THAT DUNGEON WAS SO EASY! WE TOTALLY STEAMROLLED IT!" The girls freak out and try to silence him, but it's already too late as the DM naturally takes this as a challenge. Next panel, he drops a red dragon on the panicking adventurers. Luckily for them, [[https://www.youtube.com/@DenoftheDrake said dragon]] is content with reading his cringy stories to them... (though they might have preferred being eaten).
88	* YellowEyesOfSneakiness: Redwen the tiefling rogue has monochromatic yellow eyes that glow when she uses [[InnateNightVision darkvision]].
89	* YouAllMeetInAnInn: The first episode has Angela visiting the inn to find adventurers to join her party... Only to find herself under a barrage of insults from a group of Tiefling rogues who don't take kindly to the human patron's presence. {{Double Subverted\|Trope}} and {{Downplayed\|Trope}} in the next episode, as only one adventurer in the inn, the rogue Redwen, ends up joining her party while Eriawynn and Rumples make their first appearances in the next episode.
90	* YouMonster:
91	** Redwen minces no words about how she feels regarding [[spoiler:Tsiflam]] after {{Backstab}}bing him.
92	--->'''[[spoiler:Tsiflam]]:''' Fools... if you kill me... vast knowledge dies with me...\
93	'''Redwen:''' You can keep it, you monster.
94	** Angela gets a much more furious one after [[spoiler:Alexander the Devil incinerates one of his contract-bound tiefling army]].
95	--->'''Angela:''' You damn MONSTER! [[spoiler:You could have just unsummoned her, you vile son of a bitch!]]

Context Webcomic / DungeonsAndDoodlesTalesFromTheTables