OOTS #874 - The Discussion Thread

[Gift Jeraff]

I was re-reading Don't Split the Party and noticed that The Giant stated that we'd be meeting another of the factions involved in trying to control the gates (presumably, the people who cast the scrying spell at the fake gate site).

Wouldn't this make a heck of a time to add that complication?

Like Kish said, that was Zz'dtri, as confirmed by Nale and the Giant.

However, as of now I presume that bit in the commentary was alluding to Tarquin.

[LadyEowyn]

So, anyone care to stand in for Thor ('cause he's busy) and offer Durkon suggestions on how to get out of this mess?

The only strong option I can come up with is to take a lesson from the scene with Thanh in Book IV and engineer a situation in which obeying Malack's commands requires Belkar to harm Mr. Scruffy, and hope that's sufficiently contrary to Belkar's nature that it throws off the spell (and makes him really mad at Malack). Any way of doing that besides using Mr. Scruffy as a shield (which stands a high chance of making Belkar furious with Durkon rather than with Malack) currently escapes me, though. Unless the cat's smart enough to deliberately interpose himself (or, alternately, just gets in the way accidentally).

Other ideas?

[JackRackham]

Damn, so much for being 1 low-level spell away from melee support. The Giant juked me again.

[WoLong]

Gotta love Malack hanging side down. Vampire lizards play strange bats.

Yeah, that looked really wierd.

[Ivrytwr]

Loving Malack more and more: the mist, the eyes, the hanging out around the corner. A little bit lost, maybe a little bitter?
Durkon is proving to be more capable than when the rest of OotS is around.
Mr. Scruffy with the surprised eyes.
Good story, good story telling.
Thanks, Giant!

[Deepbluediver]

Does this comic give anyone else bad vibes? Durkon in that second-to-last panel seems to be exuding an aura of "I'm only 1 day away from retirement" or something similar.

Maybe it's just me.

[DaggerPen]

First of all: Amazing. I can't wait for the next one, and I'm so glad that this is the 9-in-a-row. Malack's gaseous form looks amazing, and I love the subtlety of the Vampiric Gaze casting panel, as well as the effects on his eyes when he does it.

Second: I was reading over the archives in response to this strip, and I noticed http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0333.html

If Durkon does get vamped... I don't think he's going to wind up buried alongside his ancestors...

[Incom]

So, anyone care to stand in for Thor ('cause he's busy) and offer Durkon suggestions on how to get out of this mess?

The only strong option I can come up with is to take a lesson from the scene with Thanh in Book IV and engineer a situation in which obeying Malack's commands requires Belkar to harm Mr. Scruffy, and hope that's sufficiently contrary to Belkar's nature that it throws off the spell (and makes him really mad at Malack). Any way of doing that besides using Mr. Scruffy as a shield (which stands a high chance of making Belkar furious with Durkon rather than with Malack) currently escapes me, though. Unless the cat's smart enough to deliberately interpose himself (or, alternately, just gets in the way accidentally).

Other ideas?

Take notes from when Belkar fought Tsukiko (granted, Durkon wasn't there) and fling an angry cat into an enemy caster's face. Should buy him time to get himself good and lost in the maze at least (maybe he'll find V rather than vice-versa? /running gag).

Problem with that is what to do about Belkar.

In any case, guaranteed that it'll re-occur to Scruffy that he should be super ticked at the vampire any moment now.

[brionl]

Obviously his name was Kcalam.

This has been your random Diskworld reference for the day.

Spoiler

Show

EDIT: Actually that's what they do when they try to TRICK people in the Disc. DANG IT! Foiled by my own attention to detail!

It's a reference to Dracula by Bram Stoker. When Dracula goes to London, he books his tickets and rents his property under the pseudonym of Alucard. Pratchett was making a reference to that.

[Gurgeh]

Actually, the Alucard alias doesn't come from Bram Stoker's novel; the count travels under his own name and generally gets away with it (since nobody knows that he's a vampire for quite some time - well over half the book passes before his true nature is revealed to the characters). "Alucard" was invented by later adaptations, generally ones that took the count being outed as a vampire for granted, and use the alias to preserve some mystery.

The more general application of vampires spelling their names backwards is most often put forward by Terry Pratchett (there's certainly no evidence of it in earlier vampire works like Carmilla or Nosferatu). Not that it's a bad thing, mind.

[enh]

I'm having trouble parsing Malack's sentence in panel 9 on the right-hand side. Or it may be that I just don't know the effects of "vampiric gaze".

edit: I also haven't finished reading this entire thread yet.

[EclipseDarkSun]

'Harm'ing himself.. called it..

[ICN]

...Who needs a nemesis?

Did no one else think that after seeing the title?

And great comic as always Giant.

[Jay R]

I'm having trouble parsing Malack's sentence in panel 9 on the right-hand side. Or it may be that I just don't know the effects of "vampiric gaze".

edit: I also haven't finished reading this entire thread yet.

Took me a couple tries, too. The vampiric gaze is making Belkar attack Durkon. Durkon has just spent (used up) three spells in response to that fact. Therefore:

"Your three spells (have been) spent (in response) to my vampiric gaze."

Hope that helps.

[ti'esar]

Does this comic give anyone else bad vibes? Durkon in that second-to-last panel seems to be exuding an aura of "I'm only 1 day away from retirement" or something similar.

Maybe it's just me.

No, the possibility is definitely being set up that Durkon will not survive this fight. Doesn't mean that's actually what's going to happen, of course.

[enh]

Took me a couple tries, too. The vampiric gaze is making Belkar attack Durkon. Durkon has just spent (used up) three spells in response to that fact. Therefore:

"Your three spells (have been) spent (in response) to my vampiric gaze."

Hope that helps.

Ah, yes it does. Many thanks!

[r2d2go]

I'm confused. I thought that if Malack was Resurrected, he'd keep his memories? Anyway, could he get V to Limited Wish Malack's memories onto a Resurrected Malack?

On another note, I don't see why they could've just agreed to only cast healing/support or not cast at all, so Durkon could say "oh yeah I'm preventing harm to my party by doing this so it's all good"? CONFUSED!

[Canisius]

Another awesome comic. Durkon is pretty much my favorite OOTS character, because he behaves like we'd all like to in a table-top game. Lawful Good, Cleric, racially appropriate. And, in Rich's comic, a straight-man.

I wish I had the luxury of going through the old strips to show where Durkon is the voice of reason (tree-attacking excepted). Even Roy isn't always reliable as Lawful-Good, since he fudged stuff during the hotel siege where he changed genders. Durkon? Salt-of-the-earth.

If Rich had run this character at my table I'd be heaping up XP for his RP skills.

Now he's facing a vampire cleric, possibly a level or two higher. It's all strategy from now on, and I for one hope that Rich gives us a realistic table-top battle.

Question: Has Durkon ever broken the Fourth Wall in these strips? If he has, it's been far rarer than the other characters.

Loving the comic. Can't wait for the next strip. The Giant has some devious stuff in store for us, by my guess.

[rewinn]

Ok I got it! What is the only melee weapon we've seen injure Malack?

Durkon will cast Disrupting Weapon on Belkar's head then smack Malack around with it! (Since Belkar weighs 30 pounds, he'll probably have to use Thor's Might to wield him )

There's probably a penalty for using a halfing as an improvised weapon, but a 30-pound hammer should do a lot of crushing damage!

[sabelo2000]

ZOMG three comics in as many days... I am in a squee overload! Thank you, Giant!

[Starbuck_II]

Damn, so much for being 1 low-level spell away from melee support. The Giant juked me again.

You mean Junkos you?
(joke based on Doppa Rangan LP)

Which spell: Protection from evil/Good?

[Gurgeh]

I'm confused. I thought that if Malack was Resurrected, he'd keep his memories? Anyway, could he get V to Limited Wish Malack's memories onto a Resurrected Malack?

I don't think that memories are the issue; rather, Malack perhaps justifiably feels that being brought back as a living creature would fundamentally alter his outlook and experience of the world - he may have continuity of experience, but he certainly wouldn't continue to be the same person. Malack is clearly happy being a vampire (he's had a couple of centuries to de-vampify himself, after all) and is most likely insulted by Durkon's belief that he can be cured by a simple dust-then-rez procedure - I doubt Malack feels that he needs to be "cured" of anything.

[JCAll]

Hey, since Haley calls Durkon "D," does that mean we can now call him Vampire Hunter D?

Not Scruffy the Vampire Slayer?

[SaintRidley]

I don't think that memories are the issue; rather, Malack perhaps justifiably feels that being brought back as a living creature would fundamentally alter his outlook and experience of the world - he may have continuity of experience, but he certainly wouldn't continue to be the same person. Malack is clearly happy being a vampire (he's had a couple of centuries to de-vampify himself, after all) and is most likely insulted by Durkon's belief that he can be cured by a simple dust-then-rez procedure - I doubt Malack feels that he needs to be "cured" of anything.

Also, from Malack's point of view, it's rather silly to resurrect him. He's a superior being, after all. He should be the one changing the fundamental makeup of inferior beings.

[NerdyKris]

I'm confused. I thought that if Malack was Resurrected, he'd keep his memories? Anyway, could he get V to Limited Wish Malack's memories onto a Resurrected Malack?

On another note, I don't see why they could've just agreed to only cast healing/support or not cast at all, so Durkon could say "oh yeah I'm preventing harm to my party by doing this so it's all good"? CONFUSED!

Durkon wouldn't have agreed to anything. Like he says in the comic, there's no comprimise. Malack is an evil vampire, not his friend. He won't do anything that would hinder his party's chances of winning. That's sort of the definition of Lawful Good. Clerics aren't just heal bots. We just saw him in a devastating attack agains the Linear Guild with Stone Shape and Holy Word. Refusing to use any of his other class features would go against his entire belief system and be a complete betrayal of the friends he's known for years, just to stay on good terms with a blood sucking undead creature he just met, who is attacking what for all Malack knows is Durkon's friend.

Malack threw the first two stones in this battle by aiding Tarquin in attacking the Order, and again in trying to turn Belkar into a vampire. He's not exactly in any position to demand comprimise.

[JSSheridan]

Thanks Giant!

[rodneyAnonymous]

Plants are not inanimate.

[Zmeoaice]

Durkon is going to die. Very soon. It is heavily foreshadowed.

The last frame calls our attention to this strip, which also has this gem of a conversation:

Doubtful as the story is only about halfway through IIRC. I don't think a major character will die at this point and we already had a resurrection plot.

[SaintRidley]

Plants are not inanimate.

They lack the capacity for motion, animation. Inanimate.

Alternately, Hel is pointing out that our dwarf lost a fight with a dead tree. Mega-embarrassing and an attempt to make Thor ashamed to want her with him in Valhalla.

[darlingg]

(Thor replies) My worthy servant Durkon,

Vampiric Gaze can be used repeatedly at no cost, but so can Strongly Presented Holy Symbol continually keep a vampire at bay.

Use your Heal skill & hammer to knock out the dominated Belkar before Hold Person conks out. Sling him over your shoulder, then march that vampire backwards through traps until you reach sunlight.

Your deity,

Thor