Belkar is still alive, but the carnage has just begun.
Cast
- The Order of the Stick
- Bandit Clan of Wooden Forest
- Two Bag of Tricks Rats ◀ ▶
- Bag of Tricks Beaver ▶
Transcript
- Panel 1
Belkar is hanging from his noose.
Elan: Belkar!
Haley: No!!
Vaarsuvius: Truly, he was the best of us.
- Panel 2
Belkar tips over.
- Panel 3
Belkar tips over further.
- Panel 4
Belkar is hanging upside-down.
Belkar: Hey, any chance you guys can stop eulogizing and cut me down from here?
Belkar: The blood's starting to rush to my head.
- Panel 5
Elan: You're—you're alive!
Haley: The noose didn't snap your neck?!?
Belkar: Well duh, I weigh like 30 pounds, and most of that's my head. I'm not even pulling this noose taut.
- Panel 6
Belkar's head is beginnging to turn red. Belkar: You know, that's the problem with humans, always thinking other races are the same as they are, so they assume the same methods of execution are valid.
- Panel 7
Roy: Can we please save the social commentary for the post-battle wrap-up?
Roy hits a bandit with his club, "bonk!", and releases three animals from his Bag of Tricks, "pop! pop! pop!"
Roy: Beaver! Rat! Other rat! Chew through their ropes!
- Panel 8
One of the rats chews through Vaarsuvius' bonds, "gnaw! gnaaw!" Belkar is getting dizzy and his head is brighter red.
Samantha: I don't know where you think you're going with my prisoners, warrior, but if you look behind you, you'll see you're surrounded.
Belkar: Ooo... feeling kinda woozy over here...
- Panel 9
Roy: And if YOU look closely, you'll notice that I'm surrounded by low-level archer rogues within my reach, none of whom have surprise.
Elan: No sneak attack for you!
- Panel 10
Roy: So yeah, I'm pretty sure we can take your followers in like two rounds. Three, tops.
Roy: It'll be a massacre.
Haley: That leaves you and your Dad there to face the rest of us. And you've already cast spells today.
Haley: Feeling up to it?
- Panel 11
Belkar's head is very red.
Samantha: Death? Destruction? Meaningless carnage? Sounds like my kind of party!
Belkar: Aunt Judy? Is that you?
D&D Context
- One of the ways Rogues gain Sneak Attack damage is by attacking during the Surprise Round. The other major way, flanking, cannot be done with a ranged weapon like a bow.
Trivia
- Long drop hanging, the method of execution used here, works by severing the vertebrae when the victim reaches the end of the rope after dropping through the trap door. The length of the drop needs to be adjusted for the weight of the condemned.