OOTS Rumor, Speculation and Otherwise General Discussion! *Spoiler HEAVY!* (you've been warned)

[Numinous]

I know that real-life examples are always problematic, but do you really think that some guy who just shot some 50 Americans would be celebrated as a hero even if he told the police "these were all terrorists and I defended America against a terrorist attack"?

I think real life examples, especially in the case of elven wizards being possessed by the souls of past evil magic-users are kind of ineffectual and might bring unnecessary drama to the conversation.  Especially when we bring in "suspected terrorists" and vigilante justice.  Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather not see this conversation go down that road.

On the matter of V's recent actions, I think everyone here (brooooad generalization) is taking it a bit too seriously.  Based on the OotS I've read, which is all of them, I think V will have to do penance but the story will continue on with V recognizing the dangers of his big ol' ego.  Sure, the alignment change might have some repercussions, but so it goes.  Also, where someone mentioned V becoming a villain, no.  Just because I don't believe Rich would break a cast that has been through everything together form the very beginning.  And V single-handedly destroying Xykon?  Deus ex machina much?  Honestly, I expect the splice to expire in the next two or three strips.

Okay, my opinions are voiced.  Carry on.

[Elemental_Elf]

Well, first off, there's only 1 real known non-imaginary sentient race, which kinda complicates things (technically I don't actually value goblin life at all! ha!). Second off, yeah, familiciding goblins would be pretty brutal too; especially as I'm sure the author would take care to show goblins doing normal everyday things like eating supper and chopping down trees (as well as fighting heroic adventurers) before being suddenly killed out of the blue.

 I don't know what it is but seeing 57 Dragons die amounts to a 'DANG! That was AWESOME!' There's no other way to describe it. Fro all D&D's high minded attitude towards Dragons, they're still just monsters. Granted they're long-lived, powerful monsters but monsters none the less. its the same with Goblins. A Goblin monster is just another goblin monster. Even if the Dragons were doing more 'human' things they would still be monsters... just monsters playing House. Do that with the Goblins and it would definitely humanize the monster ,to the point where the act of slaughtering them would be too unsettling.

I linked to this thread on the webcomics wiki as the official OotS discussion thread.

Thanks! :band:

[Polycarp]

OOTS has always taken the very odd position of trying to challenge the alignment system as presented while also remaining firmly committed to that system.  It doesn't really work very well and any attempt to reconcile real world morality with OOTS's peculiar universe is automatically doomed to incoherence.  I'm not trying to be down on the comic here - I read it, and enjoy it - but there's nothing at all here that's applicable to morality as it actually exists.

As for V's future role in the comic, I have no idea - Rich is pretty good at throwing the readers for a loop with unexpected stuff - but I'd like to think I did see something like this coming.  There's only so long you can go on with the amoral, power-seeking magic user before the temptation to cross the line become inevitable.  Granted, I didn't think it would be that extreme...

[Ra-Tiel]

[...] Do that with the Goblins and it would definitely humanize the monster ,to the point where the act of slaughtering them would be too unsettling.

I think I just pulled that off in today's 4E session.

Long story short, the PCs were asked by a hobgoblin chieftain to guide his tribe around Fallcrest (which has been besieged and repeatedly attacked by a lykanthrope army, just like Hammerfast has). The hobgoblins were fleeing from another army, perhaps an even greater threat - the armies of New Arkhosia, a realm lead by dragons and their allies bent on freeing the world from evil by eradicating any and all that would commit evil. The PCs agreed and lead a "trail of tears" consisting of around 1500 hobgoblin women, children, and elderly past Fallcrest and Winterhaven, into the wild north where the goblinoids hope to find peace. Every male and female capable and willing of wielding a weapon stayed back, sacrificing their lives in hope to buy the rest of their people enough time to escape to safety.

All in all, my players were very quiet today, especially during the last quarter of the evening. When I described how the females and children would cry as they left their husbands and brothers and sons and fathers behind in their escape, and how they would flee from their homelands driven by a merciless and unrelenting foe into an unknown wilderness, they even looked sort of shocked. I think they remembered very well how their first (combat) encounters with the goblinoids went and how much "fun" they had when they killed off goblin troops or hobgoblin archers before they knew of the tribe's situation.

[Elemental_Elf]

I think I just pulled that off in today's 4E session.

Long story short, the PCs were asked by a hobgoblin chieftain to guide his tribe around Fallcrest (which has been besieged and repeatedly attacked by a lykanthrope army, just like Hammerfast has). The hobgoblins were fleeing from another army, perhaps an even greater threat - the armies of New Arkhosia, a realm lead by dragons and their allies bent on freeing the world from evil by eradicating any and all that would commit evil. The PCs agreed and lead a "trail of tears" consisting of around 1500 hobgoblin women, children, and elderly past Fallcrest and Winterhaven, into the wild north where the goblinoids hope to find peace. Every male and female capable and willing of wielding a weapon stayed back, sacrificing their lives in hope to buy the rest of their people enough time to escape to safety.

All in all, my players were very quiet today, especially during the last quarter of the evening. When I described how the females and children would cry as they left their husbands and brothers and sons and fathers behind in their escape, and how they would flee from their homelands driven by a merciless and unrelenting foe into an unknown wilderness, they even looked sort of shocked. I think they remembered very well how their first (combat) encounters with the goblinoids went and how much "fun" they had when they killed off goblin troops or hobgoblin archers before they knew of the tribe's situation.

God, I wish I could pull something like that off in my campaigns... But my players are all too content to slaughter and loot the hordes, make bestiality jokes and complain that I don't give out enough treasure...  :-/

[SDragon]

I know that real-life examples are always problematic, but do you really think that some guy who just shot some 50 Americans would be celebrated as a hero even if he told the police "these were all terrorists and I defended America against a terrorist attack"?

I agree completely. This whole thing is going to blow over pretty quickly.

[Loch Belthadd]

I forget, how often is oots updateded?

[Numinous]

Oots just updated with #640.  The twist was hilarious.  This post is purposefully vague so that someone who missed the update won't get an unwanted spoiler.

Again, further evidence that this will all blow mover and just result in a guilt complex for V.

[Nomadic]

No reason not to give spoilers off since the whole point of this thread is to collect spoilers and ideas.

On that note I think the latest comic has pretty much pointed to V as the next big bad.

[Elemental_Elf]

Dear god a 1/4!? Yeah this comic has definitely shifted V to the evil side... V is a bad guy

Again, further evidence that this will all blow mover and just result in a guilt complex for V.

i think we all know V will have quite a bit of guilt over his latest actions... I mean he's murdered 57+ Dragons through his own actions, and 7+ Azure City soldiers through his inaction... Yeah he'll be wracked with that grief for years to come.

[Ra-Tiel]

The reaction is what was to be expected. Now I'm really wondering about the next strip.

[Elemental_Elf]

Hehe, I think we all guessed the Necromancer would be the first to leave... Sad as that may be, it does knock V's power back down to the realm of reasonable (hopefully).

[Loch Belthadd]

If you backtrack to the oracle part this whole "V just became sub god" is foreshadowed.

[Ishmayl-Retired]

Yeah, the Oracle's response to his "When will I gain ultimate power?" (or whatever he asked) was "By saying the right four words at the right time for the wrong reason."

And then, about 10 comics ago, the title of the comic was "The Wrong Reason," and V's four words to take on the power were "I... I must succeed." (or something like that).  Good planning on Giant's part

[Ra-Tiel]

Finally V admitted himself that it wasn't to save his family. But I guess we all knew that already.