With a little help from Elan, Haley picks the lock on her cell door.
Cast
Transcript
- Panel 1
Elan: Hey Haley! How's the Open Locks check going over there? Any luck?
Haley: Jpz rezncw gpsi! Pnbd! Hxj hpd'e jpz pnbd??
- Panel 2
Elan: Gee, that doesn't sound promising.
Vaarsuvius: Indeed, Miss Starshine has already taken 20 on this lock, and to no avail.
Elan: Well maybe I can help her out with a little musical assistance.
Haley: Qpcdq ep icgg jpz...
- Panel 3
Elan: Pick, pick, pick, pick the prison door lock!
Vaarsuvius: I do not believe your song is effective.
Haley: C xfeb Flfvcdq-kzfgcej gpsir!
Elan: Why not?
- Panel 4
Vaarsuvius: Your bardic music is a supernatural effect. Just as I am unable to inboke even the simplest of cantrips in this thrice-damned anti-magic field, so too will your song remain ineffective while in that cell.
- Panel 5
Vaarsuvius: Although... perhaps a more mundane method might succeed in bolstering her sagging confidence...
- Panel 6
Elan: Huh? What do you mean?
Vaarsuvius: Try simply speaking to Miss Starshine, Elan. Tell her how much faith you have in her rogue abilities.
Elan: Oh! OK!
- Panel 7
Elan: So, Haley, uh, I just wanted to say how much we're all counting on you. We really don't want to go to trial, so we really need to get out of this dumb jail, like, right away.
Haley: Qbb, exfdir, dp nubrrzub exbub.
- Panel 8
Elan: And even though that lock is, like, really hard, I know you can do it. You can do anything.
Elan: Because you're smart, and sneaky, and good at stuff...
Haley: Wfld ce! PNBD!!
- Panel 9
Elan: And... I believe in you.
- Panel 10
The lock opens, "click!".
- Panel 11
Elan: Woooo! Haley, you did it!
Haley: C fl epefggj cd gpyb hcex jpz.
Vaarsuvius: Love makes the world go round. And has been known to provide a +2 circumstance bonus to certain skill checks.
D&D Context
- Characters can "Take 20" on a skill check, meaning they skip the roll and assume they take the maximum. The disadvantage with taking 20 is that the skill takes 20 times as long and characters can't take 20 on every skill.
- Open Lock is a skill that does exactly what it sounds like.
- Amazing-quality means that characters have to roll a 40 on their Open Lock check to succeed.
- The Inspire Competence Bard ability normally gives +3 to any one skill that the Bard selects.
- Improvised Thieves Tools cause the user to take a -2 penalty to Open Lock checks.
- Circumstance Modifiers are a general class of modifiers to ability checks, some of which are prescribed in the rules but others, such as receiving the encouragement of a loved one, are up to the DM's discretion.
Trivia
- The translation of Haley's lines are:
- Panel 1: You stupid lock! Open! Why won't you open??
- Panel 2: Going to kill you...
- Panel 3: I hate Amazing-quality locks!
- Panel 7: Gee, thanks, no pressure there.
- Panel 8: Damn it! OPEN!
- Panel 11: I am totally in love with you.
- The title is a reference to The Beatles song All You Need Is Love
- In panel 3 of the web version, Haley is drawn with her bow despite the whole party being disarmed in #251.