Goblins XVI: Corrupted to the Kore

[danielxcutter]

Oh, I get it. The flea demons must want the imprints. Also, now that I think about it, the flea demons probably aren't that tough even by Thunt-verse standards, considering that the party killed one in less than a single combat round. I bet that higher-level world guys, like the OotS, could probably take all of them without too much hassle.

[Starbuck_II]

So since THunt has no perception of moderation, there's no other possible outcome to this situation apart from Fumbles dies in a gory explosion of divine energy or Fumbles absorbs at least six imprints and becomes akin to a demigod. Odds on which it'll be? I'm guessing that the party is about to be swarmed by demons and so Fumbles will be left to his own devices, naively embraces like ten imprints, and becomes a Cleric so powerful that he saves them by obliterating the demons.

I still think Minmax will break tradition somehow helping him and share in his imprints.

Why did we jump to Forgath's new adventure for two pages after the GAP exploded; were those two pages of finding weird floating rocks so important that they needed to be conveyed at that moment and couldn't wait until the next time there was a natural transition to their group?

To build anticipation?!

Obviously the most egregious offender is when the Goblins were fleeing Kore and ran into what was revealed to be Minmax in a climactic encounter, and we go back in time to the whole Maze of Many arc.

True, that was a big one.

[Draconi Redfir]

I bet that higher-level world guys, like the OotS, could probably take all of them without too much hassle.

thanks. now i want to see the order of the stick in the Goblinverse just to know how ****ed the goblinverse will be as a result.

[danielxcutter]

thanks. now i want to see the order of the stick in the Goblinverse just to know how ****ed the goblinverse will be as a result.

If you mean how much more stronger the Order are compared to the average Thunt-verse being, then yes. After all, the Order's around 15th level or so.

Kore is probably around the average power level of the OotS, as he's canonically cast Holy Sword - a 4th level Paladin spell, which means he's minimum Paladin 14. And he's able to cast Cleric spells for some reason. However, even if he's essentially a Paladin/Cleric gestalt, there is absolutely no way he can beat the entire Order, whether or not you count Durkon(long story). For one, V's a 15th level Wizard.

[Vinyadan]

Nice move, I loled.

[Traab]

Plus this world is pretty low magic as well, and we havent seen any signs that kore has any armor or weaponry with magical effects, so thats going to effect how powerful kore is in comparison. Im pretty sure captain baldy could great cleave him in half considering the damage forgath did.

Ok, prediction time! I think fumbles is going to see the flea demons attacking the souls of the tellers and will use himself as a way to protect them. Basically, he will absorb a stupid number of souls and live because of the reason he is doing it. Possibly he will absorb a flea demon as well, just so names isnt the only one with demonic issues. Yadda yadda, the multiple goblin souls keeps the demon soul suppressed except for during yadda yadda.

Oh, and hoo boy is this an ugly scenario. The flea demons may not be that powerful, but right now big ears and thaco are both in the negatives and fumbles doesnt even have a class yet. So its basically names and minmax. Two warriors against however many demons just showed up.

[Anteros]

Let's be real. The OOTS would take 3 steps into their first dungeon, walk into some no-save monster or trap, and die a gruesome death.

[Traab]

Pfft, there havent been any of those yet. And whats lethally dangerous to a group of level 2-3 adventurers is SLIGHTLY less problematic to a party of people in their mid teens. Hell, they could probably handle the big bad of the axe of prissan if it came right down to it.

[Anteros]

Pfft, there havent been any of those yet. And whats lethally dangerous to a group of level 2-3 adventurers is SLIGHTLY less problematic to a party of people in their mid teens. Hell, they could probably handle the big bad of the axe of prissan if it came right down to it.

Sure, in a fair fight. More likely they'd touch Fingers before they knew what was happening and melt away. We're assuming this is still Thunt's universe right?

I'm just saying that being on a dungeon crawl in Thunt's universe with no plot armor is probably a bad time.

[Traab]

Sure, in a fair fight. More likely they'd touch Fingers before they knew what was happening and melt away. We're assuming this is still Thunt's universe right?

I'm just saying that being on a dungeon crawl in Thunt's universe with no plot armor is probably a bad time.

I suppose, but considering it takes a few rounds to get lethal, im fairly sure someone could dispel/cure it. Always assuming haley didnt drop her +5 icy burst arrows into its face and insta gib it. Or they dont just resist the effect due to much higher saves. Its been a very long time but I think it had a fortitude save versus the effect, it was just absurdly high for the level of the group. Found it, its a fortitude save of 19 by the main hands, 16 by the smaller ones. Im honestly unsure how absurd that truly is. Is that something the oots could make relatively easily?

[Anteros]

I suppose, but considering it takes a few rounds to get lethal, im fairly sure someone could dispel/cure it. Always assuming haley didnt drop her +5 icy burst arrows into its face and insta gib it. Or they dont just resist the effect due to much higher saves. Its been a very long time but I think it had a fortitude save versus the effect, it was just absurdly high for the level of the group. Found it, its a fortitude save of 19 by the main hands, 16 by the smaller ones. Im honestly unsure how absurd that truly is. Is that something the oots could make relatively easily?

I'm just kidding around about how horrible Thunt's universe would be to adventure in. I know if we crunch numbers that the Oots would be fine.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

I'm just kidding around about how horrible Thunt's universe would be to adventure in. I know if we crunch numbers that the Oots would be fine.

At level +-15, sure. The actual party that went in there was closer to level 3.

The Goblins world seems to be rather short on low level area's. Or well, they have them, they're just not very suitable for goblins to go adventuring in, because they're goblin villages. And even the humans seem to figure that becoming an adventurer means either a really quick and painful death or a great career full of ritches if you somehow make it to being "high level", (which in context might mean around level 5, the great Goblinslayer was probably 7 or so). Now to be fair, that's kind of true for D20 in general. But we've never really seen the Oots at very low levels, so it's hard to compare. Plus Fingers was particularly nasty, even for this setting. The maze of many didn't really include anything as bad as that, and it was designed to give the players a shot of one in hundreds to succeed.

But yes, this latest one is a genuine GM **** move. Hit them while one character, horribly behind on the power curve, is trying to pass a concentration check that will determine an important aspect of his power until his death. That stuff either is or is not your style.

[Traab]

At level +-15, sure. The actual party that went in there was closer to level 3.

The Goblins world seems to be rather short on low level area's. Or well, they have them, they're just not very suitable for goblins to go adventuring in, because they're goblin villages. And even the humans seem to figure that becoming an adventurer means either a really quick and painful death or a great career full of ritches if you somehow make it to being "high level", (which in context might mean around level 5, the great Goblinslayer was probably 7 or so). Now to be fair, that's kind of true for D20 in general. But we've never really seen the Oots at very low levels, so it's hard to compare. Plus Fingers was particularly nasty, even for this setting. The maze of many didn't really include anything as bad as that, and it was designed to give the players a shot of one in hundreds to succeed.

But yes, this latest one is a genuine GM **** move. Hit them while one character, horribly behind on the power curve, is trying to pass a concentration check that will determine an important aspect of his power until his death. That stuff either is or is not your style.

It also doesnt help when the groups are pretty unbalanced. Take mister fingers, you had basically had all melee group with no spellcasting, no ranged, no healing. Of COURSE that group is going to get smashed! Meanwhile the gap did pretty well in its "dungeon" battle. They infiltrated brassmoon, rescued their buddy, and made their escape. Same for their trip through that swamp with the plant monster. They only lost chief due to an absurdly high level enemy tracking them relentlessly. And the minmax/forgath duo is a warrior and healer combo, that covers most of the basics right there. Had kin turned out to be a wizard or sorc or something they would have been basically set for life.

*EDIT* And yes, total jerk move. And not only for the reason you mentioned, but half the party is incapacitated and one slap away from death. Had thaco and ears been up they might have been expected to be able to hold the flea demons off while fumbles does his thing, but right now its just minmax and names. As a game this sucks, but as a story I figure this will be the chance for minmax to truly earn his place in the gap, by doing something heroic and near suicidal to protect his buddy fumbles.

[Killer Angel]

But yes, this latest one is a genuine GM **** move. Hit them while one character, horribly behind on the power curve, is trying to pass a concentration check that will determine an important aspect of his power until his death. That stuff either is or is not your style.

Timing was so perfect, wasn't it?

[Dragonus45]

So I have been playing some games in a system called Lamentations of the Flame Princess, its a retroclone 1st edition-esque system that focuses on horror elements with a great deal of dismemberment combat is always a bad idea and one session we played in had murdering the boss monster being a trigger for awakening an undead horde the likes of which the world has never seen. Really reminds me of a goblins game.

[Kornaki]

*EDIT* And yes, total jerk move. And not only for the reason you mentioned, but half the party is incapacitated and one slap away from death. Had thaco and ears been up they might have been expected to be able to hold the flea demons off while fumbles does his thing, but right now its just minmax and names. As a game this sucks, but as a story I figure this will be the chance for minmax to truly earn his place in the gap, by doing something heroic and near suicidal to protect his buddy fumbles.

I think it's more just names and minmax will have to fight side by side and gain a grudging respect for each other here.

[Traab]

I think it's more just names and minmax will have to fight side by side and gain a grudging respect for each other here.

Thats possible too, but I really am expecting minmax to basically go for a self sacrifice type of move when he sees fumbles about to get ganked. I just think it will need to be something more than "We have to fight together to live" to really make the impact I think it will take for names to accept him.

[eschmenk]

I think it's more just names and minmax will have to fight side by side and gain a grudging respect for each other here.

Then Kore joins them.

[Starbuck_II]

Then Kore joins them.

Maybe Kore has a sense of fair play, heals them all to full, them executes them.

[Draconi Redfir]

Maybe Kore has a sense of fair play, heals them all to full, them executes them.

i mean, we've seen him tourture and kill children sure. but he DID heal Cheif that one time when he was in the negatives. Maybe the one rule of not killing people in negative hitpoints still applies?

[Traab]

i mean, we've seen him tourture and kill children sure. but he DID heal Cheif that one time when he was in the negatives. Maybe the one rule of not killing people in negative hitpoints still applies?

I mean sure he only did that to torture chief even more but..... Yeah, honestly, Im not sure how this will play out. Will he cooperate? Will he slaughter them out of hand for being evil demon worshiping fools who broke the axe? Will it be revealed that all this time he was being used? If he was the original wielder of the axe, his behavior makes sense. The demons were using the axe to break into the goblinverse, and it could only be done by committing evil acts. So they get this paladin to run around slaughtering "evil" everywhere he looks, and in the process he weakens the axe till it breaks, setting them free. Then he lost the axe at some point but kept the geas for his slaughter. Thats why his "paladin" magic has such a screwed up ime. Its not holy, its demonic. Its just disguised to approximate the look of paladin magic. Meanwhile kore "detects evil" everywhere he goes because his power source is evil.

[Draconi Redfir]

similarly, he may be trying to clense the world of all evil, even POTENTUL Evil, just so that there is no evil left to break the axe. if nothing in the world is evil, then it'd be impossible to use the axe for evil deeds!

[Vinyadan]

Would Kore's soul melding interfere with Vorpal's?

[Anteros]

Why is everyone talking about Kore suddenly? Did I miss an update?

[Traab]

Nah, I think we are all just assuming that he will bust down the door at the worst possible moment to add to the chaos.

[DataNinja]

the worst possible moment

This is Goblins. Is there any other kind?

[Douglas]

New update.

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Well, now we have a reason better than jokes or extreme arrogance for Fumbles to end up going for a high number of imprints. The obvious way for this setup to go is for there to be some unreasonably high number when Fumbles finishes beating off the demons, and then he tries anyway and dramatically survives.

Don't know if Thunt will actually go that route, though.

[-D-]

New update.

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Well, now we have a reason better than jokes or extreme arrogance for Fumbles to end up going for a high number of imprints. The obvious way for this setup to go is for there to be some unreasonably high number when Fumbles finishes beating off the demons, and then he tries anyway and dramatically survives.

Don't know if Thunt will actually go that route, though.

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Nah. That be too happy for Gubbinz. We ned moar deth and slaughter./orky

I assume this will all end VEEERY tragic somehow.

[Doran]

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What is that magic FWOOM happening with the cloak in the last panel?

[Traab]

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Nah. That be too happy for Gubbinz. We ned moar deth and slaughter./orky

I assume this will all end VEEERY tragic somehow.

My theory is,

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he survives a large number of imprints, but all the imprints has messed with his mind and memories. He isnt fumbles anymore, he is some sort of teller gestalt. That way we get lots of grief and guilt and the gap gets to have a healer again. I picture some sort of moment when the former fumbles takes off the fake mustache and tosses it aside, dismissing it as some bit of garbage and minmax or ears keeping ahold of it with a stricken look on their face.