Erfworld 156 - tBfGK 143

[raphfrk]

Wanda's killing 3 birds with one stone!

Also, if the pliers allows her to raise the dead, then they would have access to all of Ansom's knowledge about Jetstone's and the alliance's defenses.

They could also ask him how they are likely to react to the current situation

[Bookkeeper@Arms]

Which is actually quite likely. Many people have commented that "Regeneration" looks like a "Chekhov's gun".

YAY! Bogroll might come back! I liked Bogroll!

BOING! It just occurred to me ... everyone heals at the beginning of the day's first turn! What does a unit need regeneration for if everyone heals first thing in the morning?!

On the other hand ... he was confirmed as definitely croaked.

What is the game's definition of regeneration, anyway? It might mean the ability to regrow limbs or heal some type of damage that other units can't.

As to why everyone hates Ansom ... he's got that phony-smarmy thing going on. He feels like a phony. I see him talking about the nobility of rule, and the first thing I think is "He probably tortures kittens for fun". (But then again, I have this deep-seated psychological complex that makes me distrust all authority figures. YMMV.)

[raphfrk]

BOING! It just occurred to me ... everyone heals at the beginning of the day's first turn! What does a unit need regeneration for if everyone heals first thing in the morning?!

It could allow healing during a turn.

Also, they said to burn the body, that may be required to kill someone who has regeneration

[BLANDCorporatio]

As to why everyone hates Ansom ... he's got that phony-smarmy thing going on. He feels like a phony. I see him talking about the nobility of rule, and the first thing I think is "He probably tortures kittens for fun". (But then again, I have this deep-seated psychological complex that makes me distrust all authority figures. YMMV.)

Your mileage may vary indeed.

Phony was not the vibe I got. Arrogance, yes, since Ansom is after all a Royal of Erfworld. Didn't we like our heroes flawed these days? Well, I guess it depends on the flaw. You boop just one goat ...

[Finn Solomon]

Wanda is sexy. And brilliant. And that makes it even sexier.

[kreszantas]

Things are working out as I thought from the fact that Wanda was (is) the predictamancer knew all about all of the things that needed to happen to obtain the final goal. Wanda has not switched sides yet, she could yet in the future, but she is no position to do so right this minute. This is where Stanley could split her off, let her retake Faq and let the war begin for the other remaining tools.

I have several times gone back to the pages around 12-16 where Parson is in his room and he goes over his gaming theories with his buddies. The biggest difference between here and Erf is those are just games. Erf it is real and is permanent (unless you have a newly found set of attuned pliers)

Parson is for sure a Hippymancer in the making, so Janis was not too far off in calling him one, however his warlord status got in the way.

In the prior strip where we saw Wanda by herself with her eyes closed I bet she was doing some predictamancy ahead of time to know where to dig and know exactly how long to get from one place to another so to make it during the turn. BTW I think it is GK's turn now due to everyone else's turn order getting reset due to the Alliance break up.

Thank you Rob and Jami for your excellent work and I bet your now feeling a small sense of accomplishment, as Wanda has with her finding what she KNEW she was supposed to have, as small piece of success.

[Lamech]

Lets see here if Wanda is in fact a traitor, does she need an "enemy" unit in the hex to "turn". If she could knock Stanley out in one shot it is possible that she could brain-wash him or force Maggie to do it for her.

And I was right about the predictamancer being not loyal to Faq. Probably. Also I have another question, if the casters were treacherous what does that say about the message Jillian got?

[slb]

I'm pretty sure she can't backstab or abandon Stanley, even if she wanted to.

I dont know if it's her intent to do so, but actualy she can backstab/abandon him at will.

Unlike most of erfworlders, she's not under a loyalty spell.

[MythicFox]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure this is actually the first time that Parson and Ansom have actually been in each others' direct physical presence. Sure, they talked via thinkamancy, but I don't think they've actually been in the same room (or equivalent outside-of-room amount of physical space) before.

[Kreistor]

Natural Thinkamancy isn't a spell: it's inherent in all creatures. Wanda's Loyalty is low, because she is either a captured unit or merely working for a different side than popped her. Even under Banhammer, she was not the same Tribe as Jillian, so she wouldn't have had high Loyalty to him, either. That low Loyalty is what allows her to work agaist her Ruler. It is typical of casters in her position to have a Loyalty spell cast on her: her position is one of "captured unit". BTW, that's from one of the Klogs: you can read through them to find it.

[slayerx]

BOING! It just occurred to me ... everyone heals at the beginning of the day's first turn! What does a unit need regeneration for if everyone heals first thing in the morning?!

First, it is useful during combat as the unit would heal as it it is damaged... think about it like fighting trolls in DnD

second, Units are healed first thing in the morning, however if the unit is damaged during the first turn of combat, then that damage will remain going into the next turn... regeneration would allow the unit to heal up so that they might have full hp during the next turn (as opposed to remaining damaged till the next morning), and be ready for another round of combat...

if for instance the dwagons had regeneration, then Jillian and the archons would have not finished off all those dwagons that were over the water as they would have regained much of their hp

I dont know if it's her intent to do so, but actualy she can backstab/abandon him at will.

Unlike most of erfworlders, she's not under a loyalty spell.

I believe Jillian was talking about an unnatural loyalty spell, like something a thinkamancer might be able to cast upon a unit. This is unlike the natural magic that erfworld units are subjected to such as Loyalty, Duty, and obedience. So no, Wanda is still like most erfoworlds and subject to those 3 elements

[DigoDragon]

Poor Parson, now truely knowing the hell that is war. I'd like to see how this affects his future leadership.

[Kreistor]

regeneration would allow the unit to heal up so that they might have full hp during the next turn (as opposed to remaining damaged till the next morning), and be ready for another round of combat...

Or even faster. The concept of healing per second or minute is not inappropriate for a real time combat system like Erfworld. Bogroll may have been healing frm the fall even as he was being burned. Remember that in DnD, Regeneration is a certain number of hit points per 6 seconds, bringing a unit back to full in seconds to minutes.

[joosy]

Excellent strip!

So.. Wanda is attuned, speech is back to normal (possibly a result of the Thinkamancy unravelling in the Magic Kingdom) and is busy preparing to exact a fitting revenge on those she claims has wronged her (Ansom, et. al.)

Parson is still doubting his place and the morality of his actions.

Wanda reveals that she has been following the prophesy of the FAQ Predictamancer all along. She IS duty bound to Stanley however but the question is if that will continue after the Plier Attenuation.

Turns: It is still early morning. I believe Transylvito's turn is next and THEN GK. Not sure if Charlie gets a turn or which order it is or if it even really matters. The RCC allies are probably too busy assessing and licking their respective wounds to take any action.

It has been established that Wanda can uncroak out of turn. I believe the problem with ending the turn before she mass-animated the RCC in the tunnels was more an issue of getting them deployed on the walls BEFORE the end of the turn rather than her casting the Trioxin spell. I could be wrong but we will see if that is explained by PClips in the forums or in the strip.

[Iain]

Sadly, I don't think Bogroll's coming back.
We were shown him being burned, and burning the corpse is a traditional way to stop trolls (and perhaps Twolls) from regenerating from death.

[thevorpalbunny]

I think tis has probably been said before, but I suspect that the Pliers give the Croakamancer the power to create Uncroaked with all their original abilities. Knowledge, maybe. But I suspect an Uncroaked Ansom will still be just as strong a leader and will stay fresh. And an Uncroaked caster will still be a caster.

[SteveMB]

From a printer's perspective, 144 pages is a good number for binding. And since we're on 143 in the strip, either this comic or the next would be an ideal place for the chapter to end.

We're already past that, considering that the volume will have some unique content in addition to reprints of the pages posted here.

[Oslecamo]

Or even faster. The concept of healing per second or minute is not inappropriate for a real time combat system like Erfworld. Bogroll may have been healing frm the fall even as he was being burned. Remember that in DnD, Regeneration is a certain number of hit points per 6 seconds, bringing a unit back to full in seconds to minutes.

Remember also that in D&D, damage dealt by a certain element can't be regenerated. Fire kills trolls because a troll can't recover from damage dealt with fire with just his regeneration. If this was D&D, if nobody put out Bogroll, he would simply be dealt full fire damage and die.

Think of WH40K. There are several units wich can regenerate from lethal blows after going down(necrons in particular), but if that unit is struck by certain weapons, it can't come back at all.

[BLANDCorporatio]

I just realised the potential for a lame joke/reference.

"Ansom was dead. He got better."

[Matuse]

Here's my question. Did Wanda say:

I wished FOR you.

Or did she say:

I wished for YOU.

The difference in emphasis completely changes the meaning of the sentence. I'm inclined to think that it was #2, that she brought in Parson specifically to further her own agenda, and saw that he was the one who could do it. However, #1 is definitely an option too.

I wonder if this spell to summon the perfect warlord is...not a spell to summon a perfect warlord, but to summon whatever the summoner wants.

-Edit: I see now that the sentence is "It" wished, not "I". However, the difference in emphasis is still relevant.

[HandofShadows]

Wow. Dropping a few bombs in this stip. Wanda is certainly going all out, but for what goal? It certainly seems that Wanda and Janis are on the same page. And if Ansom didn't wreck Faq why does she hate him so much? Because he got the Arkenpliers and delayed the prediction?

I get the feeling most everyones theories are going to get tossed out the window before this is all through. Sneaky, sneaky creators of Erfworld. :) It would be no huge surpeise right now for TV and Jillain to show up in Faq and find Banhammer still running the place.

[Pointyleaf]

Wow, good strip. Reminds me of Wanda's comment to Ansom, "It's less than what you took from me", and makes me wonder if Wanda is so much of an evil megolomaniac that she thinks having the pliers is worth slaughtering thousands of people.. even her own people.

[jami]

This has nothing to do with anything, but @Destichado, I colored the Iron Man cover in your avatar! It's one of my favorite Iron Man covers evah.

Okay, sorry to derail everything. Feel free to ignore me. And thanks for all the comments. Wanda has certainly become one of our favorite characters to work with. And she terrifies both Rob and me.

[Calmness]

Does this mean Charlie's Archons are dead? I thought maybe they could have survived because of their flight abilities.

[BLANDCorporatio]

It certainly seems that Wanda and Janis are on the same page.

Yes, just like "nectar" and "necromancy".

Does this mean Charlie's Archons are dead? I thought maybe they could have survived because of their flight abilities.

Much as I am saddened to agree with the "She's Dead Jim" and "YOURE STUPID" clubs, they are all dead. Several archons died on screen actually. Not just the archons are dead, but as the past several strips have kept on labouring the point, EVERYONE is.

The only remaining question is how dead. Presumably Wanda will want to uncroak more archon toys.

[raphfrk]

Does this mean Charlie's Archons are dead? I thought maybe they could have survived because of their flight abilities.

They were set on fire by the heat from the eruption. You can see them falling like meteors in the third panel here.

Ofc, this calls into question why Ansom wasn't also chared.

[Nekomata]

Nice page. Moving plot and all. But somehow it feels a bit out of character for me.
He wanted a war without deaths? Where's the guy who feasts on gwiffons and eats marbits for breakfast ? Where's the guy who kills half the siege for starters?
And what's with Wanda suddenly explaining things? She didn't seem to be too keen on sharing before, even when it was important.
Of course it can all be explained (for example, Parson is only now seeing the results of his "work" in person, and Wanda could be thinking she has just won the game, so she's free to offer a couple of hints before ascending, plus the stress has just gone away and stuff) but it just feels odd to me.

More people now seem to be getting as creeped out by Wanda as I've been for years. I find it slightly odd that Wanda seems to be able to find anything and everything she needs in the ruins of Gobwin Knob, all completely unharmed by the eruption and just sitting under a few loose rocks waiting for her, but this was a good page, so I'll let it drop.

Well, she was in the link managing the eruption.
If sizemore could push valuables to the surface where he can find them easily, and I'm guessing remember a couple of these key locations (he just picks up the gem, like he knows it's there), I guess Wanda could do similar to a couple valuables.

[Winston]

I just wanted to throw out a crazy theory that occurred to me after reading this strip. Now there has been a lot of talk that Wanda's comment means that she might have been behind the fall of Faq. However could it also mean (either in addition to or instead of the fall of Faq) that she was behind the death of Saline IV.

I know that Stanley is everyone's favorite overlord to hate, but does anyone really think he is sneaky enough to arrange a coup d'etat? We already knw that Wanda is a master at manipulating Stanley. What is more, if Wanda was after war with Ansom so that she could capture the arkenpliers then replacing your side's King with a non-royal overlord seems like a great way to get on Ansom's bad side.

Now one major issue is that it is not clear if Faq fell before or after Saline was croaked. However we do know that Stanley won a lot of battles for Saline which is why he was promoted to heir, and one of those battles could have been Faq. Also, I may be crazy but doesn't the rider of the green dragon in panel 7 kinda look like Wanda. This also raises the question of whether Stanley even knew about the plot against Saline and was in on it or whether Wanda did it all on her own.

Just a thought.

[Grunthos]

Oh, I do truly, truly hope Yakov Smirnoff reads this comic someday.

"In Erfworld, silly games play you!"

[SteveMB]

Ofc, this calls into question why Ansom wasn't also chared.

He fell at the foot of the tower. The tower was then brought down in a pile of rubble. Ergo, his body was somewhat sheltered.

Getting back to half-baked speculation, this makes me wonder how the prediction of Faq's fall and the prediction of Wanda acquiring/attuning to the Arkenpliers might be linked....