[Webcomic] The Order of the Stick thread
- Thread starter Piotyr
- Start date
I thought he had a level drain but also thought I may have been making that up so I didn't say anything.
Durkon was probably getting "Good RP" xp out the wingwang during his time he was mucking it up with the lizard cleric, not to mention other times prior to this. Belkar only really started developing as a character recently, so he'd be behind in that regard. Not to mention that Durkon's the only member of the Order of the Stick that hasn't gotten the snot pounded out of him, knocking him out of a fight.
So no... I could see Durkon being at least one level higher than Belkar.
Actually, since Durkon pretty certainly has the Good Domain (since he cast Holy Smite) he casts Good spells like Holy Word at +1 caster level. Seeing as Belkar looks just like he was just deafened (happens when equal level as the caster), he should be the 1 level above Durkon.
Dave
Staff member
Good catch! I find it hard to believe that everyone is the same level, though. Nobody was blinded at all.
Well blinding them with the spell would be redundant. The smoke arrow already took care of that.
Dave
Staff member
Smoke can be blown away. I trust Rich to tell a good story, though.
My DM told me it was standard, if you were creating a "Rival" as part of the campaign, to level them up equally with the adventure party. (He asked us to help him out in writing the next campaign that we never go to by giving him more backstory for each of our characters, and I pitched the idea of another Dwarf from a rival family who wanted to see me dead)
Well, given the effects we see:
Zz, Nale, and Belkar all deafened, so they are the same level, 1 level above Durkon
Tarquin and Sabine are at least 2 levels above Durkon as they were not even deafened
Kilkil is likely paralyzed
So there's some variance in character level.
Zz, Nale, and Belkar all deafened, so they are the same level, 1 level above Durkon
Tarquin and Sabine are at least 2 levels above Durkon as they were not even deafened
Kilkil is likely paralyzed
So there's some variance in character level.
Remember Crystal, Hailey's rival in the Thief's Guild?
The Linear Guild will always be the same level as the Order: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0581.html
Actually if i'm reading the spell description right Sabine wouldn't have been banished if she was as high lvl as "Thog": Creatures whose HD exceed your caster level are unaffected by holy word.
I noticed that too, but she was talking normally and didn't seem otherwise affected by the Holy Word besides the banishement. I assume she has a higher ECL due only to LA (+6 for a succubus), which would still leave her with less HD than Durkon's caster level.
Seeing how the banishment it's it's own separate effect outsiders might not get affected by the normal ones...
OMG, I think my package of OotS stuff has arrived! I got a parcel pick up notice because I wasn't home when they came to do the door earlier today. I have to wait until 5. I haven't been expecting anything else! Ohhh. I hope I hope I hope I hope.
That -4 is for a Will save...
A wild Parcel from APE Games appears!
Nick used +5 (to open boxes) scissors...
It's very effective!
Nick has defeated the wild Parcel from APE Games!
Gains 30 XP!
The Parcel from APE Games dropped some items...
1) A Kickstarter participation patch! This patch gives any wearer a +10 Pride in Helping Independent Creators bonus!
2) A Roy Greenhilt magnet! This powerful, magnetic device will enable refrigerators with a +2 to carry paper bonus.
3) An Order of the Stick Colouring Book! Any crayons used on this book are immediately upgraded to Level 2: Awesome.
Huh. Something has fallen out of the colouring book...
4) Stickers! These stickers will add +5 coolness to any object you can stick them onto.
(Note: They will not make you cooler, sadly. Only inanimate objects. Unless, of course, you are an inanimate object...or in a coma. Same thing.)
5) Notepads! These handy notepads can be used to scribble the most - or least! - important of notations.
6) 7 Order of the Stick collections! Covering events all the way to Strip #672, plus secret origins!
LEVEL UP! Nick has become a Level 68 Comic Book Collector!
...
The Parcel from APE Games is not quite defeated. Its power has been been absorbed by a powerful enemy...
Parcel from APE Games has merged with mysterious feline creature and become...
LORD DIOMEDES! (Level 99 Boss)
Nick attempted to flee.
Cannot escape from this battle!
Lord Diomedes strikes with adorableness.
It's SUPER effective!
Nick has been defeated.
Nick used +5 (to open boxes) scissors...
It's very effective!
Nick has defeated the wild Parcel from APE Games!
Gains 30 XP!
The Parcel from APE Games dropped some items...
1) A Kickstarter participation patch! This patch gives any wearer a +10 Pride in Helping Independent Creators bonus!
2) A Roy Greenhilt magnet! This powerful, magnetic device will enable refrigerators with a +2 to carry paper bonus.
3) An Order of the Stick Colouring Book! Any crayons used on this book are immediately upgraded to Level 2: Awesome.
Huh. Something has fallen out of the colouring book...
4) Stickers! These stickers will add +5 coolness to any object you can stick them onto.
(Note: They will not make you cooler, sadly. Only inanimate objects. Unless, of course, you are an inanimate object...or in a coma. Same thing.)
5) Notepads! These handy notepads can be used to scribble the most - or least! - important of notations.
6) 7 Order of the Stick collections! Covering events all the way to Strip #672, plus secret origins!
LEVEL UP! Nick has become a Level 68 Comic Book Collector!
...
The Parcel from APE Games is not quite defeated. Its power has been been absorbed by a powerful enemy...
Parcel from APE Games has merged with mysterious feline creature and become...
LORD DIOMEDES! (Level 99 Boss)
Nick attempted to flee.
Cannot escape from this battle!
Lord Diomedes strikes with adorableness.
It's SUPER effective!
Nick has been defeated.
Nope, still waiting for mine. But then, I got the personal artwork pack, so it's going to be one of the last ones out.So, does that mean everyone here but me has gotten their packages now?
North_Ranger
Staff member
I'm still waiting for mine as well. Not to mention the PDFs.
Still waiting too. Thoug, given that I haven't ordered one and am hoping for random misaddressed packages to come to my door, odds are low 
It's a shame they didn't take this opportunity to reprint all books in large enough numbers to have some to sell. I'd love to be able to buy all their books, but I couldn't spend my money on the KS. And looking at Ookoodook, half the books never went into print again for non-KS-ers.
It's a shame they didn't take this opportunity to reprint all books in large enough numbers to have some to sell. I'd love to be able to buy all their books, but I couldn't spend my money on the KS. And looking at Ookoodook, half the books never went into print again for non-KS-ers.
They did, in fact. That was the "full print run" levels.
Which sold out in under a day, I think. I checked the store the day the KS closed, and have intermittently. At least the Origin of PCs and the Paladin Blues have never been taken off "temporarily out of stock" status.
Ah, I didn't know that. I had assumed that there were still a lot left over after all the KS contributors had been covered.
This!
KS is a system for preorders. It makes sense that they'd give people who preordered the product first.
Okay, so I've been reading through the books. So far, I've read two of the print-only books, Origin of the PCs and Start of Darkness. And they're absolutely amazing. And hilarious. Rich really goes all out with the jokes, especially in SoD, where he plays with the colour/black-and-white jokes. And I'd forgotten a lot of details that were dropped about the gates and Redcloak's plan that seeing it all in backstory, along with his motivations, makes me think he's become one of my favourite characters (but really, that's hard to say when there's so many great characters).
I'm starting to think that not only is this one of the greatest webcomics of all time (which I firmly believe it is), but it's a really great piece of graphic literature in general. There are a lot of little, easily missed details, like
But it's also the fact that Rich has been able to do so much, artistically-speaking, with so little. I hate when people say the art in this sucks because it's not true. The detail is low, but the quality of the art is high, both in its iconography and brilliant use of panels. I point out, of course, my absolute favourite strip from the series, #443: The First Step is a Doozy... which perfectly uses a web browser's mouse scrolling and works it within the telling of the story itself. That's incredibly rare storytelling for webcomics.
Not only that, but Rich has three different storytelling techniques: the full-colour that we're used to, the black-and-white for flashbacks and backstory, and crayon for epic tales of the gods. How many comics, web or not, can you think of that use three different storytelling techniques with just the colours? Not many that I can think of.
Honestly, if I had any concern about the comic, it's one thing: Rich's health. Has it ever been publicly said what his health problems are? Because honestly, I would really like to see some sort of an eventual conclusion to this epic fantasy story before his health gets the better of him. I imagine he has some sort of endgame in mind, but maybe not a specific time or number.
I should also add that I've skimmed through the past few pages in this thread regarding the Kickstarter project. It still blows me away the support that Rich has received for the project and if there's anyone who deserves it, it's him. He's always incredibly thankful and grateful to his fans. I don't think I've ever heard a bad story about him, unlike Kurtz or Buckley. And for the first time ever since the beginning of Order of the Stick, he now has all the books available in print (once all the Kickstarter pledges have been fulfilled). Again, this is a huge accomplishment. I hope he'll give us an update of everything once all the orders are sent and fulfilled. I'd like to know whether he'll buy a Cintaq, for example, to help make up for some of the delays the comic has had to suffer through.
I'm starting to think that not only is this one of the greatest webcomics of all time (which I firmly believe it is), but it's a really great piece of graphic literature in general. There are a lot of little, easily missed details, like
The two acrobats killed while chasing after Redcloak and The Monster are dressed as Robins (of Batman mythos). But even better, where the "R" on their shirt should be, there's an "M" and "D" respectively. Fucking brilliant.
Or the fact that the red insects that provide fourth wall-breaking comments, at one point, are actually dressed in Starfleet uniforms when making a Star Trek reference. THAT, my friends, is attention to detail.
Or the fact that the red insects that provide fourth wall-breaking comments, at one point, are actually dressed in Starfleet uniforms when making a Star Trek reference. THAT, my friends, is attention to detail.
But it's also the fact that Rich has been able to do so much, artistically-speaking, with so little. I hate when people say the art in this sucks because it's not true. The detail is low, but the quality of the art is high, both in its iconography and brilliant use of panels. I point out, of course, my absolute favourite strip from the series, #443: The First Step is a Doozy... which perfectly uses a web browser's mouse scrolling and works it within the telling of the story itself. That's incredibly rare storytelling for webcomics.
Not only that, but Rich has three different storytelling techniques: the full-colour that we're used to, the black-and-white for flashbacks and backstory, and crayon for epic tales of the gods. How many comics, web or not, can you think of that use three different storytelling techniques with just the colours? Not many that I can think of.
Honestly, if I had any concern about the comic, it's one thing: Rich's health. Has it ever been publicly said what his health problems are? Because honestly, I would really like to see some sort of an eventual conclusion to this epic fantasy story before his health gets the better of him. I imagine he has some sort of endgame in mind, but maybe not a specific time or number.
I should also add that I've skimmed through the past few pages in this thread regarding the Kickstarter project. It still blows me away the support that Rich has received for the project and if there's anyone who deserves it, it's him. He's always incredibly thankful and grateful to his fans. I don't think I've ever heard a bad story about him, unlike Kurtz or Buckley. And for the first time ever since the beginning of Order of the Stick, he now has all the books available in print (once all the Kickstarter pledges have been fulfilled). Again, this is a huge accomplishment. I hope he'll give us an update of everything once all the orders are sent and fulfilled. I'd like to know whether he'll buy a Cintaq, for example, to help make up for some of the delays the comic has had to suffer through.
I love how you keep noticing things in strips, even long after you first read them.
In the post-Azure City bit, when they're on the island of banjo-worshipping orcs, I had always known that the tunnels the party members jumped down had the Dharma Initiative symbol on them. What I hadn't noticed until literally yesterday is that the signs in the background are labelled "the Greg Initiative". That there, is a sign of taking pop culture fixation seriously!
North_Ranger
Staff member
Half the fun in reading OotS is indeed in finding all those hidden "Easter eggs" and side jokes Not that surprisingly evocative art, awesome storytelling and the delicious mixture of drama and comedy don't help...
Not that surprisingly evocative art, awesome storytelling and the delicious mixture of drama and comedy don't help... 
Hey I have a question about the printed books, I've been thinking about buying them.. Since the point of the kickstarter was that Rich could republish the books himself, does that mean he's the only source you could get them? Because I've been coming across the books on sites like Amazone and online bookstores with big differences in the price..