OOTS #876 - The Discussion Thread

[Roland Itiative]

Z is a parody though, so he fulfills that stipulation... and isn't that how Z got dragged off in the first place? Solving a climatic battle with a cheap gag?

All Durkon has to do is get Malack to monologue some more and mention his race name. By explicitly identifying himself as one, he ceases to be ambiguous and being a race with a Vampire template isn't a parody of the race.

That would be an illegal use of the intellectual property in question. Z only exists because he's a parody, and always was a parody (in fact, one can argue he isn't really a parody right now, as he dropped many of the Drizzt characteristics, but he initially was one). Being dragged out by the lawyers didn't mean he was actually breaking any laws back then, it was just a cheap gag without foundations in real law. His use has always been protected.

[TekHed]

Is it selfish of me to hope that Giant makes it to 8 days in a row and says "nah I need a break" so we can get another 9 in a row down the line?

I know...I'm a jerk.

(Love you Burlew!)

[Feddlefew]

Helvetica is a font from Switzerland, developed by Switzerlanders named Eduard Hoffman and Max Meidinger for the Haas'sche Schriftgiesserei company.

It is a wonderful font, with a proud history; which has now been replaced by the scoundrel almondy soapy parasite font Arial.

Arial pretends to be Helvetica, but it is not. It's like those Cowbirds that lay their eggs in the nests of Wrens, leaving the Wren parents to raise the Cowbird hatchling, which is much bigger than its Wren nestmates and so requires more food. It gets too big and accidentally pushes the real Wrens out of the nests, sometimes to their deaths if it is in a high tree or a high barn.

Arial is not intentionally evil, but it is a parasite, riding on the coattails of Helvetica, stealing its use (which, for fonts, serve as nutrients) from within.

So no, Helvetica is not from South America.

That was beautiful.

[Poppatomus]

The real question is what would have the most dramatic oomph. The "rescue" of Belkar had real force, another similar rescue wouldn't, and there's been no set up for one to occur. But to have Durkon perish here, crippling the order, also doesn't seem to fit. I am hoping that this is not and end of the second act heroes-at-their-lowest-ebb moment, and maybe more of a start of the second act things-won't-be-as-easy-as-you-thought moment.

If it is, it seems likely that some longer term trap is going to be sprung by Durkon, something that he and Elan had planned for Xykon that will instead be used here to save Durkons life. This would weaken the party for the coming fight, but still keep them basically intact as a group (more start of the second act then end of it.)

If Durkon really perishes here, it woudn't just be the end of an act, but the start of a whole new story. It would be as though Roy died prior to the arrival of Xykon's forces to destroy Azure city.

No matter what, thank the maker this is the storyline when the updates are fast flowing. It's hard even to wait a day for these, let along several.

[rewinn]

I speculated on a trapdoor in MDW a while back, but didn't think it would really happen because, you know, who ever heard of putting a trap in a spell?

NOW Malack's explanation makes it seem obvious, but only after it's too late for Durkon to do anything about it. Team Tarquin seems really thoughtful ... vile beyond measure, of course, but definitely the opposite of stupid!

One can imagine Malack helping Durkon debug the spell, smiling as he offers the clerical equivalent of "It's not working? Embed a radio-controlled switch in some C4 and stick it to the system bus; that'll make it work better!"

....My prediction is that V will show up. Considering that Durkon is currently in a grapple with Malak, V's only real choice is to blast them both with some sort of AoE spell. I could see Durkon telling V to do it, honestly......

It would be a heroic thing to do, and Durkon is quite heroic.

It would also give V one more thing to feel guilty about.

[bguy]

Definitely all over as far as Durkon "winning" this fight--he could theoretically have Word of Recall racked (which would likely take him far away from the fight to the detriment of the OotS while saving his life), but the (minimum) two negative levels he just took (unless Malack is refraining from draining his levels intentionally to keep him as powerful as possible after turning) would likely wipe that out.

Malack is probably blood draining rather than energy draining Durkon. (Blood draining Durkon to death would immediately give Malack vampire-Durkon while energy draining Durkon to death would only give him a mere vampire spawn, and he would have to wait 1-4 days for that.) As such Malack's attack shouldn't be giving Durkon any negative levels (and thus no lost spells.)

I do rather doubt that Durkon is holding a word of recall back (if he had any 6th level spells left, he probably would have converted it over to a Heal to hit Malack with last strip instead of going melee on him), but Durkon has suprised me several times in this fight already, so maybe he has one last ace to play. And you're right that it would probably take him far away (and also likely mean vampire Belkar), but that's still a lot better for the OotS than a vampire cleric of Durkon's power being unleashed against them. (The rest of the Linear Guild is presumably out of action for at least a day, so Durkon might even be able to get back to the temple before they return.)

[Roland Itiative]

something that he and Elan had planned for Xykon

What? Elan has something planned for Tarquin, not Xykon. And it seems to be something specifically about stopping Tarquin's ambitions (as the plan was cooked before the Order even knew of Tarquin's involvement with the current Gate race), so it's probably not something that can be used on anyone else without the exact same goals.

[rangermania]

Great having all them in a row :D

[Incom]

Courier is the best font. Fixed-character-widths FTW.

Unfortunately it'd look weird if I used it regularly. Plus I'm lazy. And responding to an apparent spam post? At least it's not an entirely non-sequitur one.

Anyway, the strip I was talking about is 664.

The question is, assuming that is the purpose of Roy's plan--what exactly is it?

Base assumption: Roy's Archon is doing something Durkon-related in the afterlife. Durkon will die before he gets to go home. Presumably it has something to do with protecting Kraagor's Gate in case of TPK at Girard's. Roy's Archon has no idea if it'll work, but is in the process of doing it now. Roy's Archon's resources amount to the Greenhilt family... and a whole lot of other ghosts, right?

Maybe he's setting up conditions such that Durkon can still influence things from beyond the grave, to help protect Kraagor's. I don't know how that might work though.

Huh. This is difficult.

[ZerglingOne]

So... OtOoPC spoiler incoming

Spoiler

Show

It seems Durkon could fulfill both of his prophecies in short order. He will return to his homeland posthumously as well as bring great destruction as alluded to in OtOoPC on returning.

[Techmagss]

I may be wrong but I think Durkon could be like the rebellious teenage goblins from the first few scripts
I mean IF he is vamp'd he could be rebellious since Malack refers to him and perhaps Belkar as his children

I.e not evil

[Vinsfeld]

If Durkon is Vamped, what's to stop Malack from vamping Belkar as well? (or, at least, kill him)

[mawexzon]

If Durkon is Vamped, what's to stop Malack from vamping Belkar as well? (or, at least, kill him)

Who said he won't?

[NihhusHuotAliro]

I apologize if that was spam.

I tend to get overenthusiastic when someone mentions a subject on which I am knowledgeable (of which there are few, luckily for everyone else).

Anyways, in panel four, do the motion lines around Durkon's arms mean that he is struggling to reach his hammer, or are they just general struggling lines in a "Get Off Of Me!" sense?

Also, what happened to Durkon's shield?

[mawexzon]

Also, what happened to Durkon's shield?

It's on the floor on Panel 7.

[Greylond]

Read up a few comments. Domination is a pretty long-lived effect.

And yes, I'd guessed that, but barring some sort of "remove curse" type spell, it looks like he's under Malack's control for the foreseeable future.

Heh, I can see this;

#877
Cutaway to V, V&Blackwing discussion continues as they go along, last panel is V sees the situation.

#878(or later depending on how many cutaway comics)
V casts dispel magic on Belkar because he looks obviously held or paralyzed. V's Dispel Magic not only removes Durkon's Hold Person but also the Dominate Person. Last Panel Belkar jumping to Durkon's defense with a witty comment about being a "Sexy, Shoeless God of War!"

Come to think of it we might see a couple of cutaway comics that show all the other OOTS Members catching up and possibly the Linear Guild catching up. Last Comic of the Series of 9 is another epic battle between the two groups...

[NihhusHuotAliro]

It's on the floor on Panel 7.

Oh.

I assume that it's perspective that makes it look all squashed/skewed and non-circular. The alternative assumption is that Malack is strong enough to skew a steel (is it steel? Has the specific metal of this shield been confirmed?) shield into a squashed disk.

I hope it's the first, because the second does not bode well for our heroes. 'Twould be unfortunate indeed if Malack had not just the health-draining effects of a poisonous viper but also the crushing strength of a Boa Constrictor.

[Blue Ghost]

If Durkon is Vamped, what's to stop Malack from vamping Belkar as well? (or, at least, kill him)

Perhaps Malack only wants to make one child for the day. Durkon would be a much more appealing choice than Belkar.

I wonder, what's the plot significance of Malack being a yuan-ti or naga or whatever? The reveal would only make sense if it were important in some way.

[TRH]

I wonder, what's the plot significance of Malack being a yuan-ti or naga or whatever? The reveal would only make sense if it were important in some way.

I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that whereas Lizardfolk are generally neutral, yuan-ti are always evil, and abominations (of which Malack would probably be a member, if he's yuan-ti) especially so. Also, I think abominations also have a nasty tendancy to be insane or something. Haven't cracked a Monster Manual in forever.

[Traab]

Only Belkar can save Durkon now! ... He's screwed.

Or the kitty. He can do some rather nasty damage when the mood strikes, and he cant be happy with vamp boy right now. Enough to break the grapple at least.

[Incom]

I apologize if that was spam.

I tend to get overenthusiastic when someone mentions a subject on which I am knowledgeable (of which there are few, luckily for everyone else).

Well, it wasn't so much spam as it was off-topic. I didn't notice the Helvetica reference above your post, and you hadn't added the quote at the time, AND you just joined the forum (welcome, BTW) so I assumed spambot of some kind. My apologies in return.

[Raineh Daze]

V casts dispel magic on Belkar because he looks obviously held or paralyzed. V's Dispel Magic not only removes Durkon's Hold Person but also the Dominate Person. Last Panel Belkar jumping to Durkon's defense with a witty comment about being a "Sexy, Shoeless God of War!"

Why would the LG be back so quickly?

Dominate (Su): A vampire can crush an opponent’s will just by looking onto his or her eyes. This is similar to a gaze attack, except that the vampire must use a standard action, and those merely looking at it are not affected. Anyone the vampire targets must succeed on a Will save or fall instantly under the vampire’s influence as though by a dominate person spell (caster level 12th). The ability has a range of 30 feet.

Supernatural abilities of either type are not subject to spell resistance nor power resistance. Supernatural abilities cannot be dispelled and are not subject to counterspells. Using a supernatural ability is a standard action unless noted otherwise. Supernatural abilities may have a use limit or be usable at will, just like spell-like abilities. However, supernatural abilities do not provoke attacks of opportunity and never require Concentration checks. Unless otherwise noted, a supernatural ability has an effective caster level equal to the creature’s Hit Dice. The saving throw (if any) against a supernatural ability is 10 + 1/2 the creature’s HD + the creature’s ability modifier (usually Charisma).

=====

I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that whereas Lizardfolk are generally neutral, yuan-ti are always evil, and abominations (of which Malack would probably be a member, if he's yuan-ti) especially so. Also, I think abominations also have a nasty tendancy to be insane or something. Haven't cracked a Monster Manual in forever.

Seeing nothing in the MM about Abominations' being insane.

Physically, he seems to fit the bill: 8-12 feet long.

Might also get a bunch of saves, though I'm none too sure about how Racial HD actually work, and the ability to cover things in acid. There's SLA's, Large size (good for grappling), and what looks to be a huge boost in abilities. Despite having only 9 HD, they only have one ability score lower than 17.

[NihhusHuotAliro]

If I remember correctly, the most notable feature that distinguishes Yuan-Ti from other reptilians is their notably higher intelligence and notably lower strength and constitution.

They are also noted for possessing long tails that are extremely sensitive, to temperature, vibrations, pain, etc, etc. A sort of "second eyes" because they can feel your footsteps when you sneak behind them. They are a bane to invisible characters.

A Yuan-Ti's tail can easily be exploited for torture purposes. Imagine the most sensitive part of your body, and then somebody stepping on that, or stabbing it, or zapping it with lightning.

If Malack is a Yuan-Ti, that explains his intelligence; but there's no way that he could have the strength to enwrap Durkon enough to truly suffocate him in the manner of the all-body squishing of Boa Constrictors.

If Malack is a Yuan-Ti, all Durkon has to do is to bite the tail. If Malack is a Yuan-Ti, then he cannot crush Durkon like a soda can.

Yes, sodas go around crushing dwarves. Many a noble Dwarf has lost its life to the soda.

Most of my information on Yuan-Ti comes from Tarol Hunt's Goblins, and I don't know how true that is to the DND rules and rulebook.

[EmperorSarda]

Unfortunate that Durkon decided on continual physical attacks. He could have easily done spontaneous cure spells. It'd be more damage than he could deal with hammer, especially since vampires have some regeneration. It'd take him down spells, but it would get the job down.

[Koraxx]

Why would the LG be back so quickly?

I'm assuming you misread his post, thinking he said Z not V?

[Shale]

If Malack could sense invisible people he'd have noticed Nale in the palace.

[Raineh Daze]

Most of my information on Yuan-Ti comes from Tarol Hunt's Goblins, and I don't know how true that is to the DND rules and rulebook.

Yuan-ti abominations... well, the one in the MM's lowest mental stat is 18. Their lowest ability score, at all, is Dexterity. They're massively overkill.

Oh, and they have scent, but I'm not sure if that would be much use at spotting an invisible character when stood right next to someone of the same species.

I'm assuming you misread his post, thinking he said Z not V?

No, I just quoted the wrong bit.

[Bernemer]

... okay, that's definetly one of the "lemon" sort, and I see no way to make lemonade out of that one.

[Harry Leipzig]

It would be a heroic thing to do, and Durkon is quite heroic.

The money seems to be on Durkon dying via heroic self-sacrifice. Hey wait, Kraagor in the Order of the Scribble was the one who died sealing the last gate. What if the dwarf party member dies again?!

[coineineagh]

If Malack dismissed the spell with a password, then Belkar and Mr. Scruffy are also 'standing' in line for vampirism.

I hope the rest of the party is nearby. If not V, then perhaps Roy, Haley and Elan are wondering where the rest went...