Goblins XVI: Corrupted to the Kore

[Draconi Redfir]

There was that Tempts Fate with actual players, and the goblin actually murdered them.

a lot of tempts fate can probably be considered non-canon though. plus, wasn't he transported to another dimension or something when he met those characters?

Except we did see plenty of signs that the original full minmax crew are actual players. Im not sure when the last time we got a reference like that was, but I know as far as the maze of many minmax kissed forgath then played it off as not being gay because "you are played by a girl in real life" or something. And of course the dark elf trio were always written as a very specific (obnoxious) stereotype of players. Now its been awhile since that stuff has been done, so maybe thunt is moving away from it and trying to gloss it over, but it was all there. From clearly ooc conversations about drow boobs to discussions about earlier rules from previous versions of the system (hence thaco) Even the npc types like the goblins were aware of things like how to create "player characters" with talk about backstories and such. Oh, and exchanges between characters like, "you took improved unarmed strikes?!" "I got it by trading my ability to rhyme on purpose." And that whole, "arguing about the rules" exchange he and minmax had. Heck that entire chapter of the story had tons of references including forgath telling a complaining minmax that its just a standard players handbook longsword, not even herbert the gm is THAT monty hall.

i'm not saying that didn't happen of course. given what we're seeing though, the story is from the pserspective of the characters, not the players.

It would take some work, but you could potentially explain everything you mentioned as players being spirits that posses / guide characters through the world. Maybe Forgath's "Player" is just a female spirit, and Minmax attributed the kiss to the spirit rather then forgath himself. With the Drow, the spirits could be exceptionally powerful, passing on stronger memories and abilities that they shouldn't be able too, and eventually toning themselves down as they learn that doing so is only dooming those they posess / guide.

Thaco and earlier game versions? The fundamental laws of the universe changed. and have changed several times, so it's not an unheard of experience.

Herbert? A really messed up god who guides the player-spirits and can **** around with them when they ask for stupid things. (See, not-walter and the one-legged blind orc.)

Yeah the earlier chapters / pages did have much more game references, but like you said i think thunt is deviating away from that. Maybe the comic started out with the non-goblin crew being players in a game, but it's definitely not that way now. ret-conning things like this isn't unusual for comics.

as for referencing feats and the like, it's a world like order of the stick, one where game-rules apply. it's like learning how to play the piano via self-teaching, but much faster. still doesn't mean your life story is written on a piece of paper in another universe somewhere.

[Traab]

I will agree its very close to oots but to me it gets a little too rl technical, not too mention stuff like trading your ability to whistle for improvised weapon: table. But yeah, there really hasnt been any of that since they left the maze. Its become a lot more oots like in that they talk about levels and such but not sounding like players discussing things ooc. So lets compromise with, "It started as a D&D game with player characters mixed with npcs, but has moved away from that over the last couple years into a comic set in a world that follows d&d rules but has no players involved, much like oots."

[Draconi Redfir]

I will agree its very close to oots but to me it gets a little too rl technical, not too mention stuff like trading your ability to whistle for improvised weapon: table. But yeah, there really hasnt been any of that since they left the maze. Its become a lot more oots like in that they talk about levels and such but not sounding like players discussing things ooc. So lets compromise with, "It started as a D&D game with player characters mixed with npcs, but has moved away from that over the last couple years into a comic set in a world that follows d&d rules but has no players involved, much like oots."

I'm fine with that

[Lord Torath]

Full-color version is up

[Anteros]

Anyone know why the updates stopped again? Is he sick again?

[Vinyadan]

There's no information about his health, but the pencils have been published yesterday on Patreon, so the page will likely come up on Monday.

[virgileso]

There's no information about his health, but the pencils have been published yesterday on Patreon, so the page will likely come up on Monday.

Something happened to require surgery on his arm. He's recovered enough to start work again.

[Lord Torath]

Something happened to require surgery on his arm. He's recovered enough to start work again.

Yes, but that was in March. check the date on his announcement.

[Draconi Redfir]

from what i heard in the comments of one of his youtube videos, he's busy with a super-secret project he's not allowed to talk about as well.

[Anteros]

from what i heard in the comments of one of his youtube videos, he's busy with a super-secret project he's not allowed to talk about as well.

Ah. Honestly, I wish he'd just focus on the comic. These side projects never seem to turn out well. I guess I can't begrudge him trying to expand his livelihood though.

[Doran]

New comic update

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Tumbler rage.

[danielxcutter]

Barbarians SMASH!

[Draconi Redfir]

looks like Minmax's IME is going to start focusing on that eye of his

[Douglas]

New update.

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As predicted, Fumbles is now facing a high number of imprints. I went back and checked, it's stated that no one ever survived more than four, and it's already at five. There's a legend Fumbles references about someone with six, but the others don't take it seriously. So, he's in "legend or die" territory now.

[danielxcutter]

New update.

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As predicted, Fumbles is now facing a high number of imprints. I went back and checked, it's stated that no one ever survived more than four, and it's already at five. There's a legend Fumbles references about someone with six, but the others don't take it seriously. So, he's in "legend or die" territory now.

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Maybe each imprint grants an effective cleric level. Just my guess, but since the others are about ECL 5, probably.

[Draconi Redfir]

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Blue spirit is kinda hot tbh. and i don't even swing that way.

[Traab]

Anybody who didnt see this coming before the ceremony started needs new glasses. The only thing to worry about now is, what the fallout will be. I think bottom line, fumbles wont die. They need him to be a healer in order to get the group moving again or else kore will turn up and finish them off. But that doesnt mean the ritual will be completed flawlessly with a 5 aspect fumbles caller going on like normal, only with his class levels in place. Based on thunts love for misery, im still going for the post torture vorpal character who has to be led everywhere, doesnt talk, doesnt change expressions, he is locked in his own mind. BUT he automatically acts like a cleric to an extent, casting heals and such. The idea being his mind is subsumed by the sheer number of souls he called on but since they are all healers certain instincts remain even if conscious thought is beyond him. It also gives us the great dramatic comeback like happened with the kore fight where he heard chief screaming and ran back to help. Basically, they get stuck in another troublesome situation and a mindless heal bot isnt enough, so vorpal is able to break free and regain his ability to think and act.

[The Glyphstone]

Anybody who didnt see this coming before the ceremony started needs new glasses. The only thing to worry about now is, what the fallout will be. I think bottom line, fumbles wont die. They need him to be a healer in order to get the group moving again or else kore will turn up and finish them off. But that doesnt mean the ritual will be completed flawlessly with a 5 aspect fumbles caller going on like normal, only with his class levels in place. Based on thunts love for misery, im still going for the post torture vorpal character who has to be led everywhere, doesnt talk, doesnt change expressions, he is locked in his own mind. BUT he automatically acts like a cleric to an extent, casting heals and such. The idea being his mind is subsumed by the sheer number of souls he called on but since they are all healers certain instincts remain even if conscious thought is beyond him. It also gives us the great dramatic comeback like happened with the kore fight where he heard chief screaming and ran back to help. Basically, they get stuck in another troublesome situation and a mindless heal bot isnt enough, so vorpal is able to break free and regain his ability to think and act.

Except he loves wacky humor even more than he likes torturing his characters, and that route would remove the possibility for future shenanigans between Vorpal and Minmax.

[Vinyadan]

Except he loves wacky humor even more than he likes torturing his characters, and that route would remove the possibility for future shenanigans between Vorpal and Minmax.

Minmax could jump the shadows and see what happens.

[tyckspoon]

I figure there's a couple of ways the ceremony can go from here, depending on if THunt wants to do something story/character based or lean more on the sort-of-D&D-based rules of the 'game' the Goblins world supposedly runs on. Storywise, this seems like a point where Vorpal could potentially be rewarded for his character; the teller-imprints, recognizing his potential self-sacrifice in service of other goblins, act to ensure he survives imprinting. That does require that the imprint souls have some intelligence, which isn't a given - most of them are depicted in a sort of mindless moaning ghost way. That blue one kind of looks like it might have its stuff together, tho.

Mechanically, the goblins don't seem to know what the teller ritual actually does. It might cost XP or inflict (hopefully temporary) negative levels based on how many imprints you try to absorb. Since most of the subjects of it were probably low level/HD noncombatants, such a mechanic would guarantee certain death past a fairly small number of imprints. An adventurer would have much more ability to absorb that kind of damage. Maybe the five imprints will drain all of Vorpal's pseudo-levels, leaving him basically the same as before but now equipped with teller powers and with the focus and sense of purpose he needs to re-level in an actual class.

[Draconi Redfir]

not sure how i would feel about it, but i could see Minmax doing a thing where he "Helps" Vorpal. Where the two of them share the load and the powers are divided between them, but they both survive because of it.

[Anteros]

Well, a couple of the tellers could get eaten also. That's sufficiently angsty, and could save the situation.

Not that I think it'll happen. Traab is right that this whole section is pretty predictable.

[Traab]

Yeah, I mean, from the time they hit negatives this arc could only end in one way, fumbles is getting official class levels. Had they chosen to do this ceremony at a time where they were all full health and not in imminent danger, then it could easily have turned into full scale character death tragedy. But if he DOESNT get the ability to heal, the GAP are done. Therefore he will. The only question is if there will be tragedy mixed in with triumph or what.

[Doran]

But if he DOESNT get the ability to heal, the GAP are done.

And thus begins Thunt's NEW comic - Flea Demons: Life through their eyeholes

[Adaon Nightwind]

New Update: http://www.goblinscomic.org/

And as per usual, Unexpected Things happen, and It Is Getting Worse.

Spoiler: Post about Comic Update

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It would seem that no one has any idea how to proceed in order to save Vorpal. On the other hand, it seems that he does not, in fact, have to finish the ceremony - but that would let the souls of the seers just hang around in this dungeon. ... maybe every gobling present takes some of the imprints?

[danielxcutter]

Man, Herbert is a real *******, isn't he?

[faden]

Wow, you have some good ideas. I love the idea of temporary negative levels, it completely explains the threat of death versus power level. Then, the real only way to survive this is for each of the 4 to help absorb them at the same time. 15/4... are they level 4 yet? One thing I notice, though, is the distinct appearances of the spirits. Out of the 15:

3 angry
2 happily malevolent
5 scared
5 unclear (pink and orange more angry, dark blue more scared, pale yellow and medium green more likely indifferent)

In this case, perhaps only 7 of them imbue negative levels (dark green could do double). This means divided by 4, each of them could absorb 2 and still survive... except if each negative level gives -1 HP, it would still result in a death. If only 3 goblins absorb, then MinMax would have to augment Vorpal in some way for everyone to survive. I think with the possibilities before them, at least one of them is going to die from this, at least in a narratively satisfying way. I expected it to be a rough transition when 6 appeared, I never would have guess it would go up to 15.

Frame 1: Vorpal fleeing with spirits chasing
Frame 2: Minmax grabs thaco, vorpal, and fumbles
Frame 3: Minmax huddles to protect them as all spirits converge on them at once.
Large panel for Frame 4: All 5 knocked unconscious to -9.
Frame 5: Fumbles goes to -8.

[Vinyadan]

Well, the RSS feed seems to be broken.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Whatever happens, I think "Vorpal takes them all using the pain cloak" got less likely. If the strongest tellers had 5 or 6 imprints, 15 and counting would be kind of OP. (Although he does have a few adventurer levels (about five) to catch up on, end they need a way to deal with Kore, so I'm not writing it off completely.)

By the way, what would happen to spirits in the time mirrored room? Ghost fight?

[Draconi Redfir]

the page DOES end with THACO facing down the spirits... i kind of doubt that he'd be the one to absorb them at all. but it does bring up one idea.

the flea demons came into the room to consume souls. if these things count as souls, and Complains is part demon, maybe Complains can lessen the impact by consuming a majority of the souls? i dunno, probably not.