Will Parson learn to cast?

[ryos]

If it were me, that'd be the first thing I'd want to learn (how to use magic). But then, I'm studying Chemical Engineering, which is about as close to magic as we get in this world.

That, and Parson's got extenuating circumstances that may keep him from personally learning to use magic.

What do you think?

[The Viking]

Personally I think he's going to, but all the interest he's had in magic recently is probably just so that we can get familiar with it, not to set up him becoming a mancer.

[Aidan305]

And so that he knows what his units can do. If you're going to command an army, you need to know what they're capable of.

[Glome]

well it also depends on how long he spends in Erfworld. There is no way he should be able to learn to cast anything before this battle is over, but if he has significant down time later he may pickup some spells. Perhaps he could do much by integretating magic with technological innovation.

A good question is what area of magic he would learn if he was to learn spellcasting.

[Legendary]

Parson has no stats/points, according to Stanley in like, #18. He doesn't have a stat to allow him to cast magic, therefore.

[Glome]

Parson has no stats/points, according to Stanley in like, #18. He doesn't have a stat to allow him to cast magic, therefore.

possibly, but it's only one of several possible sitations going on. Another possibility is that Parson does has stats but they aren't readible in this world. Or perhaps there is no stat that influences the ability to cast magic.

Considering also that Parson seems to affect/be effected by his enviroment normally including magical items such as the eyebook, it's not inconceivable that he can still cast spells without an appropiate stat even if there is a stat for magic. After all, he seems to be move around fine and doesn't have a strength stat for example.

[Not a Paladin]

I personally hope so. He'd probably end up a Thinkamancer.

[kansas_dave]

Parson has no stats/points, according to Stanley in like, #18. He doesn't have a stat to allow him to cast magic, therefore.

Parson has no "move" stat and he can move.

Also, Parson is a game-master inside a game. He might turn out to have GM powers (e.g. Fiat, or fudging the rules by which Erfworld works, or somesuch)

[Legendary]

As to the Move Stat, I'd like to point out that the move stat only makes a difference when you're moving between the grids. Goblin Knob would be contained within one hex, and thus Parson can move anywhere on it. Just not beyond it.

[Doshi]

Someone pointed out on the 'Now it Begins' thread that it is far easier for an artist to create a character who is a great swordsman or a powerful wizard than it is to create a character who is a brilliant strategist. All an author needs do to create a great Wizard is show the character using powerful spells. Example: Wanda speaks a magic word and summons Parson. But creating a brilliant stategist is more challenging, because you need to think of some brilliant strategy that your character can use. I think this comic will be far more impressive if Parson can out think his enemies, rather than just using magic against them.

[Cobra_Ikari]

Where does it say he has no stats? It says that Stanley can't see them...that doesn't mean they don't exist.

I'm thinking if he needs any heavy duty casting, though, he'll just ask Wanda.

[Legendary]

Looking over it again, I get the feeling that Staneley's inability to see them suggests that his stats are, at the very least, not positive, rational, numbers. So I guess he could have stats, but they would lead to VERY weird situations.

Stanley: "Wait, you have -1 Total Move? How does THAT work?"
Wanda: "My Tool, this is a good thing, because the number of available Move always decreases. If we send him to the grid to the east, he'll have -2 Move left afterward, for example."

I can see it now: the Erfcalypse, caused by a Divide by Zero error.

[fractal]

I don't think Parson should become a mage, or a warrior, for that matter (large though he is). The point is not for him to win the battle using his own resources, the point is for him to manipulate the existing resources of Gobwin Knob in a brilliant way.

[Mewtarthio]

Someone pointed out on the 'Now it Begins' thread that it is far easier for an artist to create a character who is a great swordsman or a powerful wizard than it is to create a character who is a brilliant strategist. All an author needs do to create a great Wizard is show the character using powerful spells. Example: Wanda speaks a magic word and summons Parson. But creating a brilliant stategist is more challenging, because you need to think of some brilliant strategy that your character can use.

Actually, creating a brilliant strategist is easy: Just think of a halfway-decent strategy, have them use it, and have it work brilliantly. In this particular case, coming up with a good-looking strategy is also easy, since the world's been created from scratch and the author knows all the tricks, loopholes, and weaknesses.

[Cobra_Ikari]

...the author knows all the tricks, loopholes, and weaknesses.

I think it's quite obvious he doesn't.

[Midnight Lurker]

One presumes that ROB BALDER is being referred to as the "Author," NOT Parson. Think before you say these things, Mitch.

[Cobra_Ikari]

One presumes that ROB BALDER is being referred to as the "Author," NOT Parson. Think before you say these things, Mitch.

Are you talking to me? If so, I was thinking. I took "author of the world" to mean "creator of Erfworld". Storylinewise, that would be Parson. In rereading, I see how that better points to Rob, but my comment wasn't from lack of thought.

......now would you like to actually add something to this conversation, or just drop out to point out a misunderstanding of intent, hmm?

[factotum]

If so, I was thinking. I took "author of the world" to mean "creator of Erfworld". Storylinewise, that would be Parson.

It hasn't been proved one way or the other that Erfworld is just Parson's wargame. It's just as likely that the summoning spell locked in on Parson because he'd been working on a game (for five months!) which has a very similar situation and therefore he'd be a good choice.

[Setra]

It hasn't been proved one way or the other that Erfworld is just Parson's wargame. It's just as likely that the summoning spell locked in on Parson because he'd been working on a game (for five months!) which has a very similar situation and therefore he'd be a good choice.

Regardless, it's probably close enough.

I don't think Parson would need to cast, really.

Just give him a club or somethin, I mean he towers over everything anyways.

[Midnight Lurker]

Are you talking to me? If so, I was thinking. I took "author of the world" to mean "creator of Erfworld". Storylinewise, that would be Parson. In rereading, I see how that better points to Rob, but my comment wasn't from lack of thought.

......now would you like to actually add something to this conversation, or just drop out to point out a misunderstanding of intent, hmm?

Apologies, I maybe shouldn't post this late at night with no coffee.

Well... we need to know more about how magic is actually done before any reasonable guess as to Parson's ability to learn can be made, never mind his desires.

Speaking of desires, the nature of available spells would also be a factor. What magics would he want to have ready to hand, instead of delegating to the Tool's casters? Personal defenses would be high on my priority list, just in case it wasn't a dream. (Most of the rest of my list is unprintable in a family forum.)

[Cobra_Ikari]

My apologies, too...lack of sleep makes me pointy from every angle.

I think a higher understanding of Erfworldian magic would help. I could see Parson thinking up novel ways to use existing spells, or even creating his own, but I don't know if the Erf will allow him to do that...

[Liam the Dead]

I think Parson is likely to try learnt magic if he gets a chance to, just because it is something of a stereotypic gamer geek thing to do, and Parson is nothing if not a gamer geek. But he'll probably fail (for any number of reasons), because as Doshi said...

I think this comic will be far more impressive if Parson can out think his enemies, rather than just using magic against them.

Parson's character arc within the strip is prove himself at least a worth contender for the title of Ultimate Warlord, plus strategy is his first great love. Aside from that, making him a caster would put him too much into the world, getting rid of the 'outsider' vibe that defines his place in the strip.

[benthehater]

Summon Hamstard.

[Glome]

well I don't think being able to cast a few simple spells will cause him to loose his place as an outsider, but it certainly won't happen until after the battle of Gobwin Knob is over anyway.

Somehow I reminded of the Ultima series in all of this, where an outsider changes the course of history of the another world and the influence of his homeworld can be seen everywhere because of it.

I suspose it's only a matter of time before Lord Hamster conquers some land which he renames Hamstardia. Anyway, regardless of how much he attempts to integrate into the new world, I think his fingerprints of who he is and his home planet will show in everything he does.

[the_tick_rules]

not for a while, he doesn't even understand the magic system yet.

[Indon]

I doubt Parson can affect opponents in combat, since he himself has no 'hits' (I take this as viewing he is invincible by being unaffectable in combat, and it'd just be cheesy if he were invincible and could still hit things).

In fact, Stanley may be in for a big surprise if he tries to disband Parson only to realize Parson was never considered a unit proper in the first place.