Roy wants to fight the assassins, but there seems to be a problem with his equipment.
Cast
- Roy Greenhilt ◀ ▶
- Elan ◀ ▶
- Blackwing ◀ ▶
- Banjo the Clown ◀ ▶
- "Kaboom" Redaxe ◀ ▶
- Animals from the Bag of Tricks
- Pepe ◀
Transcript
- Panel 1
The dwarf has just blown up one of the walls.
Dwarf: Ha! Tha's how a DWARF picks a lock thar!
Dwarf: Too bad it leaves all this smoke...
- Panel 2
The dwarf's vision is blocked by the smoke.
Dwarf: King o' Nowhere! We know yer in thar! Send yer court jester out, so at least ye can die knowin' ye didn't bring no one else down wit ye!
Dwarf: And none o' yer tricks! We're ready fer ye.
- Panel 3
Elan: Roy! That dwarf thinks you're the real king! He's trying to kill you!
Roy: Thanks. I puzzled that out all by myself.
- Panel 4
Elan: Can't we just explain that this is just a wacky case of mistaken identity and you aren't really the king??
Roy: I get the distinct impression that he wouldn't be inclined to believe me that easily.
- Panel 5
Roy: No, I think we're definitely going to have to kick his dwarven butt.
Roy: Elan, hand me my club.
- Panel 6
Beat. Elan looks at Roy's outstretched hand.
- Panel 7
Roy: I can't help but notice the empty space in my hand where I would have expected a greatclub to be by this point.
Elan: I am SO sorry!
- Panel 8
Elan: Your club was getting all beaten and worn out, and I was afraid you were going to get a splinter or something, so I sent it downstairs with one of the servants to get fixed.
Elan: Please don't be mad, I was trying to help!
- Panel 9
Roy: Sigh. Well, thanks for the thought. Hand me my sword, then. A broken blade is still better than none.
Elan: Ummm...
- Panel 10
Roy: Oh, what is it NOW?
Elan: I thought your sword might be jealous if the club came back looking like new, so I sent it down to be polished up.
- Panel 11
Roy: Grrr. Fine. Give me your rapier, then.
Elan: Well, I figured if they were going to have the jar of polish out...
- Panel 12
Roy: Oh, for the love of—did you send any of our OTHER equipment downstairs to be fixed???
Elan: To be fixed? Um, no, not exactly...
- Panel 13
Cut to Blackwing, Banjo, Elan's Lute, and several animals from the Bag of Tricks having a tea party.
Pepe: More tea, gentlemen?
Beaver: Outstanding.
D&D Context
- The existence of gunpowder, T.N.T, and firearms in a campaign world is left up to the discretion of the DM. Arquebuses were introduced as an optional weapon in the 2nd edition. Generally, when these elements are included, they are kept at a fairly simple technological level, such as would have been available in the early Renaissance period. Dwarves and Gnomes are sometimes allowed to posses higher technology items.
- One of the running gags in OOTS is technology, which in some cases is modern and in others is not. Modern references in the strip abound. The very hotel OOTS finds themselves uses modern technolgoy.
- TNT requires a charge to set it off, and so the Dwarf using the fusee in Panel 1 wouldn't work. Fusees themselves are essentially miniature road flares that burn red or yellow that are used by wildland firefighters to start backburns and also to start prescribed fires.
Trivia
- The title answers the question of why Elan sent the bag of tricks downstairs.
- This is the final appearance of Pepe. He first appeared in #226.
- TNT was invented in the 1860's.
- This is the first appearance of the Bag of Tricks Dog.