OOTS #1010 - The Discussion Thread

[Orful Biggun]

It looks like the black marks disappeared when he drank the potion (restoration?).

Not unless there was some sort of delayed effect. He's wearing those black marks right up to the "You're not Durkon at all!!" line ... i.e., when Roy hits his "Green Means Go" moment, they're gone. The potion healed him but I think this is the sword.

[ramakidin]

I love how the Giant kept Durkula's beard cut short from Roy's attack in the previous panel. It really accents the change in Roy's thoughts about Durkon vs the undead monstrosity he is facing.

[Alex Warlorn]

The time for psychological warfare is over. Now the real fighting begins. Let's see how they last.

[tigerusthegreat]

so, roy was actually healed by the sword effect. if durkula now cast harm on himself, the duel will be effectively restarted. except that he'll be out of some of his best spell slots. still, i am surprised that he's still alive, given how much damage roy can deal, especiially with that green energy

The only advantage a pure fighter has over a spellcaster is that they never run out of the Hit Things With Sword spell.

[LuisDantas]

The last panel caught me off-guard, and reminded me that the Azure City blacksmith thought Roy might come to want to see a downside to this green flame effect.

Is it possible Roy is not fully himself when the effect activates?

[Medivh the mage]

Perhaps if Roy being angry makes his sword glow then roy being REALLY angry makes his body glow

[Squark]

Booh. Yeah.

That is all.

[Zubrowka74]

Sorry I didn't read all the six pages but to me it seems the green "undead bane" effect might have stopped because Durkula was down. The was a "kraaaack" when he hit the wall, might have been his spine.

All in all, awesome comic! The whole battle is epic. Heck, the whole Godsmoot sequence is really good! Excellent!

[Tarqiup Inua]

So that was a full attack with a magical sword, it would seem. :-)

Durkula didn't pass the concentration check - likely thanks to the improved damage output...


I don't think you need "legacy weapon" for that sort of thing - you just need intelligent item - even very low int score and link to wielder are enough to provide abilities when he fights for the cause (against the undead - maybe something on the top required... willingness? Something for sure...).

Healing... either the sword has spells per day like these types of items sometimes do, or I'd bet on it giving some sort of positive energy aura that hurts undead and heals wielder at the same time.

[Luizeu]

It's simply stunning! The artwork on this strip is amazing!

[Turin_19]

Talky-man in touch with inner greenness too!

Epic, just like the comic!

Maybe the glowing sword has a 'aura of good energy', maybe something like a 'heal' spell? Which harms undead and heals the living?

[Father Miles]

It is probably coincidence, but the only entity I remember with a Green flame aura (other than the Eastern gods) was the Oracle (and possibly Tiamat).

[Seward]

I just gotta say - that sword is the BEST WEAPON EVER for Roy.

Whatever power it has, it just undid 8 negative levels and most of his hitpoints.

And Roy finally got in a decent full attack.

It ain't over yet though, not until the Dwarf is Mist.

[Ramien]

Awesome comic, but I wanted to note a technical detail: in 9th and 10th panel something seems to be..."off" with the antialiasing, in that I see the edges of Roy's sword (and in minor part, also of his arms) all blocky and, well, aliased. Am I the only one seeing that like this?

I'm seeing that in those panels, as well as panel 3. It seems to be something tied into the way the green flames are processed.

But I didn't even notice at first because of the awesome blinding me >.>

[CrispyCriminal]

Pretty sure it only dispelled when he realized it was around him. It does seem to run off emotion, and that epiphany he just had put him into a righteous nirvana of green flame and fury.

[Idiotic_Bird]

How did Roy know that Durkula wasn't Durkon? I'm sure that Rich will reveal it later, but in the meantime anyone have any theories? I also noted that in one of the strips (I forgot which one) Durkon realised that Durkula can't make a link between 2 memories, and it was 'something to look forward to'.... i wonder if that applies to this fight?


Solve a man's problems with violence, help him for a day. Teach a man to solve his problems with violence, help him for a lifetime!

[Landis963]

I haven't smiled this much at a character beatdown since the denouement of Words of Radiance. Those who've read that book know what I'm talking about.

Go Roy Go! RAH-RAH-RAH! *waves pompoms*

EDIT:

How did Roy know that Durkula wasn't Durkon? I'm sure that Rich will reveal it later, but in the meantime anyone have any theories? I also noted that in one of the strips (I forgot which one) Durkon realised that Durkula can't make a link between 2 memories, and it was 'something to look forward to'.... i wonder if that applies to this fight?

Regardless of whether Durkon slipped HPoH the story of Eric when he (HPoH) called for a list of Roy's weak points, or he (still HPoH) came across it himself and didn't realize that it was the one tragedy in Roy's life that he didn't blame himself for, the sadism and the lack of understanding displayed during HPoH's speech was the tipoff. Also, "I've always wondered how many pieces your brother was in after he died" is very much not a thing Good!Durkon would do, assuming that Vampire Durkon is Evil!Durkon. (Which is what Roy thought of HPoH at the time)

[Thanatosia]

Did.... did Roy just do an air-juggle combo on HPoH in pannels 6 & 7?

[Archemist]

Roy has found a way to become a "Green Star Adept" from Complete Arcane. My theory is he's on his way to becoming a construct.

[Agnostik]

Oh Roy. You had enough levels of denial to qualify for a denial-based prestige class.

[miner3203]

I haven't smiled this much at a character beatdown since the denouement of Words of Radiance. Those who've read that book know what I'm talking about.

Yes. So much so. I feel like Kaladin and Roy are actually sort of similar in temperament..except one has depression issues and magic powers. On second thought, not so much.

[ackmondual]

5 blows to knock him back. If I started a pool, I would've betted on 3

[PallentisLunam]

Horace Greenhilt: Whoa, Roy! what the Hel?!
Roy: Oh, oh I'm sorry, grandpa. I didn't mean to snap like that.
Horace: No, stay snapped! STAY SNAPPED!! Ahh gods damnit.

[Joe the Rat]

Roy has found a way to become a "Green Star Adept" from Complete Arcane. My theory is he's on his way to becoming a construct.

Well, he was pretty wooden to begin with...

It's not Stormbringer

Of course not. We're not using Chaosium rules in this comic.

...It would be Blackrazor.

[AbyssStalker]

It is probably coincidence, but the only entity I remember with a Green flame aura (other than the Eastern gods) was the Oracle (and possibly Tiamat).

Probably a coincidence indeed, who knows though, as however unlikely it might be perhaps the hilt was imbued with magic in some form or another when Horace used it to fight the green dragon of Reddragonsville.

But it is probably just the star-metal.

[Lombard]

Heheh, I was feeling kind of 'meh' about the sword finally activating at the end of the last strip, like it was a bit too.. plotty in my face or something. But it was a storyline hook? Well played, sir, well played.

[Fincher]

How did Roy know that Durkula wasn't Durkon? I'm sure that Rich will reveal it later, but in the meantime anyone have any theories? I also noted that in one of the strips (I forgot which one) Durkon realised that Durkula can't make a link between 2 memories, and it was 'something to look forward to'.... i wonder if that applies to this fight?

"I don't know if you started out as Durkon and turned into this, or you're just squatting in his corpse, but I was stupid to think it even matters!"

He doesn't know whether Durkula is an entirely different entity than Durkon. He just knows that he's not the Durkon he remembers anymore, because his friend Durkon wouldn't say such horrible things about his brother.

[Orful Biggun]

The last panel caught me off-guard, and reminded me that the Azure City blacksmith thought Roy might come to want to see a downside to this green flame effect.

Is it possible Roy is not fully himself when the effect activates?

Mmmm. Yes, that's innnnteresting.

I went and looked at that strip (dang - one more post and I can use links! ... okay, it's #297, right?).

What's interesting to me are the exact words that the Master Swordsmith uses when discussing the sword's side effect (for which she would recommend ... something ... with which to counteract said effect):

"It is likely that your sword will sometimes glow with a deadly green energy that is particularly harmful to the undead."

(beat)

"In order to counteract this, I recommend --"

Now why would anyone, especially a good-aligned fighter, want to counteract that?

Probably a coincidence indeed, who knows though, as however unlikely it might be perhaps the hilt was imbued with magic in some form or another when Horace used it to fight the green dragon of Reddragonsville.

But it is probably just the star-metal.

Probably, yes, but it is true that our knowledge concerning the sword's history, particularly when Horace was using it, is limited.

Just to be clear, I'm not hanging my hat on this ... I just love thinking about and discussing such things, so ... what if Roy's sword has a mind and will of its own, perhaps similar to Stormbringer (see the Micheal Moorcock novels featuring Elric of Melniboné)?

What a thought.

[tomandtish]

Posted this in a thread just made about the sword, but I'll repeat some of my thoughts here.

Long ago, Rich Burlew designed a PrC for melee/caster types called the The Bearer of the Ancestral Weapon. It is very possible that some of the ideas behind that PrC, especially when it came to powers granted by the Ancestral Weapon, are in play here, if heavily modified.

I'd agree some, but not all. Which makes an interesting twist. Rich has always stated that he doesn't get that specific about some things. That's good, because of it was his class he's altered it. Roy can't cast greater magic Weapon, so he wouldn't be eligible for it.

I'd put my money on a Legacy Weapon (Weapon of Legacy, 3.5. Great and underrated manual).

It has all the typical features of a legacy weapon:

-A normal magic weapon for a casual wielder;
-Additional powers bestowed upon a "chosen one";
-LITERALLY a legacy that bounds it to the "chosen one";
-The "chosen one" had to complete a series of quests and oaths to unlock the weapon powers, such as:
* a special quest to retrieve/repair/reinforce the weapon
* a special/unique material involved
* fighting undeads, swearing an oath against them.
* (MABYE) Killed by an undead and raised (not sure about this one)

The power that it bestow on the wielder seems to be related to those quests, as they seem to include:

- A better version of a Bane weapon (Mabye something like Smite?)
- Fast Healing, or negative energy resistance/nullification (Most of his wound was done by an Harm spell)
- Rage against undead

This power seems to be progressive: it was just a magic weapon at first, then it became an undead bane weapon, and now is a "**** it... I'd flee that if I were a ghoul" weapon.

All points towards a Legacy Weapon in my opinion.

This seems a little more likely to me, or (more likely) combining the two ideas. The weapon itself is an Ancestral Weapon (enchanted to whatever level Rich deemed appropriate), but he isn't using the actual class itself, just the weapon idea.

[Ramien]

Mmmm. Yes, that's innnnteresting.

I went and looked at that strip (dang - one more post and I can use links! ... okay, it's #297, right?).

What's interesting to me are the exact words that the Master Swordsmith uses when discussing the sword's side effect (for which she would recommend ... something ... with which to counteract said effect):

"It is likely that your sword will sometimes glow with a deadly green energy that is particularly harmful to the undead."

(beat)

"In order to counteract this, I recommend --"

Now why would anyone, especially a good-aligned fighter, want to counteract that?

By the same token, though, if the energy were something seriously detrimental to the wielder, wouldn't the swordsmith have mentioned it more than once, or tried to explain further?