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This is the thread for discussion of The Order of the Stick plot, characters, etc. We have a separate thread for discussing game rules and mechanics. Excessive rules discussions here may be thumped as off-topic.

OP edited to make this header - Fighteer

edited 18th Sep '17 1:08:08 PM by Fighteer

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#57976: Jul 8th 2021 at 6:02:16 AM

Like Elan said, you never know if you're getting action or comedy.

Disgusted, but not surprised
jjjj2 from Arrakis Since: Jul, 2015
#57977: Jul 8th 2021 at 6:15:37 AM

[up][up]I didn't mean now in this particular fight, I meant sometime later in the arc. I feel it would be a huge waste otherwise.

You can only write so much in your forum signature. It's not fair that I want to write a piece of writing yet it will cut me off in the mid
blkwhtrbbt The Dragon of the Eastern Sea from Doesn't take orders from Vladimir Putin Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
The Dragon of the Eastern Sea
#57978: Jul 8th 2021 at 7:39:28 AM

How dangerous are mimics

Say to the others who did not follow through You're still our brothers, and we will fight for you
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#57979: Jul 8th 2021 at 7:44:15 AM

A mimic is no real threat to the Order. It's a 7 HD aberration with a challenge rating of 4. The biggest annoyance is that anything it touches or that touches it gets stuck to it. This includes weapons. For this reason it's easier to defeat with ranged weapons or spells. It's more dangerous in an anti-magic field, but then again most melee-focused monsters are.

Edited by Fighteer on Jul 8th 2021 at 10:45:05 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#57980: Jul 8th 2021 at 7:48:33 AM

There's a reason they're ambush predators who rely on shapeshifting to catch prey off-guard.

Amusingly, some media that also use similar Mimics make them extremely dangerous encounters, such as the Dark Souls series (though tbf even the common mooks in those games can be extremely dangerous encounters if you're careless).

Disgusted, but not surprised
Resileafs I actually wanted to be Resileaf Since: Jan, 2019
I actually wanted to be Resileaf
#57981: Jul 8th 2021 at 8:01:31 AM

The mimic will most likely not participate to the combat unless someone in the order decides to try attacking it.

blkwhtrbbt The Dragon of the Eastern Sea from Doesn't take orders from Vladimir Putin Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
The Dragon of the Eastern Sea
#57982: Jul 8th 2021 at 8:18:12 AM

I was just wondering how hard it would be to remove from the entrance

Say to the others who did not follow through You're still our brothers, and we will fight for you
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#57983: Jul 8th 2021 at 8:19:15 AM

Under ordinary circumstances, not very difficult. Under these circumstances, it's mainly there to keep the Order here. I don't expect them to fight it directly.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
johnnye Since: Jan, 2001
#57984: Jul 8th 2021 at 9:09:45 AM

On the Bloodfeast thing — people tend to talk about Chekhov's Gun like its a 2-step process, but the Rule of Three actually makes for much better setup. If the only setup for the rifle going off is that it's on the stage, it can still feel contrived (not every narrative follows the minimalist set design ethos Chekhov was espousing in that quote, and not every character who merely owns a gun will inevitably use it). But if you see a gun in Act I, and then someone takes a moment to explicitly check if it's loaded in Act II, now you really know it's going off.

Belkar just took the gun off the wall, made a dramatic Pre-Asskicking One-Liner and to his dismay ran headfirst into Not With the Safety On, You Won't. Someone's definitely getting shot at some point, even if Belkie isn't around to see it.

ArsThaumaturgis Since: Nov, 2011 Relationship Status: I've been dreaming of True Love's Kiss
#57985: Jul 8th 2021 at 9:18:57 AM

Thinking of Blackwing, with anti-magic in effect the telepathic connection is, I presume, down. If Blackwing attempts to contact the order through said connection and then fails, they might fly in to see what's going on.

... Come to think of it, corvids do have a reputation for Going For The Eye. (Even more so than miniature giant space hamsters! ;P)

Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on Jul 8th 2021 at 6:19:08 PM

My Games and Asset Packs
HeraldAlberich from Ohio (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
#57986: Jul 8th 2021 at 9:34:54 AM

[up] Yes, the telepathy is down; V mentioned it in the same breath as their flight spell failing. Without a way to disable the trap, though, if Blackwing flies in he’ll end up in the false tunnel with Xykon. There’s no way for him to get to the Order right now.

Resileafs I actually wanted to be Resileaf Since: Jan, 2019
I actually wanted to be Resileaf
#57987: Jul 8th 2021 at 9:41:19 AM

Don't expect Blackwing to move from his spot. He couldn't even participate to the combat if he wanted to. He has no way to join the Order in the real dungeon.

If anything, he's an insurance against the Order forgetting about their mission if Serini wins.

RaichuKFM Nine thousand nine hundred eighty-two reasons. from Where she's at Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Wishing you were here
Nine thousand nine hundred eighty-two reasons.
#57988: Jul 8th 2021 at 9:43:11 AM

Mimi's a she, not an it, guys, c'mon.

Actually that makes me wonder. The likely answer is just that Mimics in OotS have sexes, which while I don't think is D&D canon (maybe I missed something) is not contradicted either (though, may have missed something).*

I do find the alternatives (Mimi has no sex but does have a gender identity; or Mimi has neither but Serini wasn't going to call them an it and they was yet to catch on so went "Can I call you a she?" "Sure, whatever") interesting enough to briefly consider, though.

*Mimics reproducing asexually (and only asexually, as opposed to being able to clone and mate) by budding or splitting is I think common homebrew, since they're shapeshifters and a bit like big amoeba in their natural form, but I don't think it's confirmed or denied in canon.

Mostly does better things now. Key word mostly. Writes things, but you'll never find them. Or you can ask.
HandsomeRob Leader of the Holey Brotherhood from The land of broken records Since: Jan, 2015
Leader of the Holey Brotherhood
#57989: Jul 8th 2021 at 11:28:59 AM

You know what I want?

I want the Serini to succeed.

I want her to successfully wipe both the order and the paladin's memories, then send them on their way, smug that she prevented those idiots from destroying the world to stop another would be conqueror.

Then I want her to meet Blackwing and learn everything she was missing from him. That they weren't even going to look for the gate, that if Xykon wins and Redcloak performs the ritual, the Gods will nuke the world (and that that would have happened if they'd won even once, meaning it was a good thing the gates were destroyed) and that she's essentially doomed the world.

I want her to know she messed up completely. That she was wrong. And then I want her to now have to desperately undo her mind wipe so she can do what she should have done in the first place and work with the order to save the world.

Not sure if that would work though. I may just be blood thirsty.

One Strip! One Strip!
Tharkun140 The Arch-Douchebag Since: Apr, 2016 Relationship Status: What is this thing you call love?
The Arch-Douchebag
#57990: Jul 8th 2021 at 12:07:39 PM

[up] I don't think that would work, nor do I hate Serini enough to seriously want it. However, it would be hilarious to see Hinjo's reaction once all the people he sent out returned to him and said "Sorry, we found nothing" right before the world starts to shake.

Apathy is Death. Worse than Death, because at least a rotting corpse feeds beasts and insects.
Galadriel Since: Feb, 2015
#57991: Jul 8th 2021 at 1:33:23 PM

I think Serini’s actions are reasonable based on the information she posesses (the Order and Paladins have destroyed three gates already, two of them needlessly).

fredhot16 Don't want to leave but cannot pretend from Baton Rogue, Louisiana. Since: Jan, 2015 Relationship Status: Too sexy for my shirt
Don't want to leave but cannot pretend
#57992: Jul 8th 2021 at 1:59:01 PM

[up][up][up] “May”? What has she done to merit such a vindictive scenario?

I might be inexperienced but I haven’t seen such anger from you since, well, that one time featuring a certain Shonen Jump series with a blonde protagonist.

Edit: Blk, what happened to your periods?

Edited by fredhot16 on Jul 8th 2021 at 2:25:16 AM

Trans rights are human rights. TV Tropes is not a place for bigotry, cruelty, or dickishness, no matter who or their position.
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#57993: Jul 8th 2021 at 2:07:59 PM

Rob is clearly still bitter over Serini and Sunny killing off their Baron Pineaple theory. tongue

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#57994: Jul 8th 2021 at 2:10:01 PM

Don't look at me. I was hoping for the return of Fruit Pie the Sorcerer.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
HandsomeRob Leader of the Holey Brotherhood from The land of broken records Since: Jan, 2015
Leader of the Holey Brotherhood
#57995: Jul 8th 2021 at 3:17:29 PM

Honestly.

While her reasons are completely understandable, it's still frustrating because this is all just a waste of time that's just going to hurt the heroes more in the long run.

Plus, as unfair as it is, we know she's wrong. All this is going to do is put them at a further disadvantage, her included.

Plus, I feel like she asked exactly all the wrong questions to get the answers from the paladins that only confirmed her own bias, even if they made sense to ask. To say nothing of the fact that her capturing them prevented them from learning about the issue with the Gods (which would have allowed them to better justify why she didn't need to worry about them destroying the gate).

I'm just kinda being unfair. I'm dreading (but also looking forward to) the moment where Xykon shows up, shit stomps everyone, and comes even closer to winning because of her missing such a vital piece of information all through her own actions.

One Strip! One Strip!
fredhot16 Don't want to leave but cannot pretend from Baton Rogue, Louisiana. Since: Jan, 2015 Relationship Status: Too sexy for my shirt
Don't want to leave but cannot pretend
#57996: Jul 8th 2021 at 3:24:00 PM

“Plus, I feel like she asked exactly all the wrong questions to get the answers from the paladins that only confirmed her own bias, even if they made sense to ask.”

Can I ask you to explain this a bit more in detail? Because that seems to be something that could somewhat justify the “sticking it to her” aspect of your scenario, something she did wrong without it being a problem of not knowing everything, which...isn’t a thing you usually hold against people for.

Trans rights are human rights. TV Tropes is not a place for bigotry, cruelty, or dickishness, no matter who or their position.
HandsomeRob Leader of the Holey Brotherhood from The land of broken records Since: Jan, 2015
Leader of the Holey Brotherhood
#57997: Jul 8th 2021 at 4:30:14 PM

She asked O-chul if he'd already tried to destroy the gate to prevent Xykon from getting it (which he had).

It's a fair question, because she's trying to make it clear to them why she thinks its better to just mind wipe them (they'd destroy the gate to stop Xykon).

I suppose I'm just being irrational really. It's funny that before I wanted them to get to her attack, and now I just want to get through it so they can fight the real enemy. I already know she's acting rationally based on teh information she has. It's not really her fault she's missing some absolutely vital.

One Strip! One Strip!
jjjj2 from Arrakis Since: Jul, 2015
#57998: Jul 8th 2021 at 4:55:34 PM

I find Serini fascinating in many ways because she's the opposite of Girard and Miko. Both of them jumped to conclusions they had no business jumping to, but she's Entertainingly Wrong.

Edited by jjjj2 on Jul 8th 2021 at 7:55:43 AM

You can only write so much in your forum signature. It's not fair that I want to write a piece of writing yet it will cut me off in the mid
copperglass Since: Aug, 2020
#57999: Jul 8th 2021 at 5:31:20 PM

But Serini does have a good train of reasoning.

Like, the Order's record with the Gates is horrible. They literally destroyed one on accident, which requires a degree of ineptitude that should never be allowed near a pillar of existence. Ever. The information that the Order has—Redcloak's plan, the cycle of worlds, etc—even the Order didn't know until Thor personally told it to Durkon. There is almost zero way Serini could reliably get that information.

Also, I guess I have a bias, but I find her pretty cool and interesting. She's the last Scribbler, there's definitely a lot more to the Scribbler story than what Shojo said, and she rides on a freaking Beholder while wielding poison guns and crossbows.

On a side note, does Serini need to be spoiled within the forum here?

Edited by copperglass on Jul 8th 2021 at 5:31:39 AM

LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
#58000: Jul 8th 2021 at 5:37:57 PM

We've been talking about her completely unspoilered, so that should already answer your question.


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