120 The Battle for Gobwin Knob, Page 108

[Yenkaz]

Oil + Gas trap + Collapses?

He's going to Poison/Burn/Sufficate them to death, and close the exists for any survivors?

[Doctor Zuber]

Oh and point: People are talking like the caves are a closed system where no more oxygen can be introduced. Yeah if you go and inhale great lungfuls inside the blast radius you might drop dead, but the air will become reoxgenated by simple diffusion, not to mention that if these are mining tunnels, adequate ventilation systems will be installed.

I disagree here, even in modern mining operations where "adequate ventilation" is something you can safely assume, large fires will still horribly overload the ventilation system generating a lethally low concentration of oxygen. This is not a modern mining operation. It is safe to assume that there is not a large amount of airflow, a large fire will deplete the oxygen for a good long time.

And as an added bonus... After the fires stop, the remaining water and decaying organic matter in a low oxygen environment will also eventually create H2S which is many times more lethal than CO or CO2, and is also somewhat resistant to being vented from places like this since it is heavier than air.

And I'm almost certain that "Breathe Underground" is included in Dirtamancy 101

Now on this point, I COMPLETELY agree. It's a pretty safe bet that dirtamancers do have the ability to produce clean air as part of their standard spellbook. It would make sense for a spellcaster that is pretty well designed for spending a lot of time in the deep underground caves.

[ReccaSquirrel]

A thought on Parson's plan:

Stanley's last orders were: "The three of you stay out of my sight if you want to live." This was back on Page 78.

Now, Parson needs to rescue Stanley for a couple of reasons, this is supported by Page 115 when he tells Wanda he'll save him. He knows that Charley isn't in on SOMETHING involving Stanley. That means he likely knows of some sort of attack or pursuit planned.

So this brings me to the most recent comic. Why does Parson need a Foolamancer that isn't even in the city right now? I can see a couple of options:

a) To make sure Stanley is safe with a full potential Foolamancer
b) Similar to A but to give Wanda assurance that Stanley is safe so that she remains as well
c) To trick Stanley into returning to Gobwin Knob. But I doubt a Foolamancer can make terrain fake.
d) To get the Foolamancer to use veil abilities from afar.

Honestly, I think the combination if b or d. If Ansom expects the Foolamancer to be with Stanley, they won't expect veiled units in Gobwin Knob. That gives Parson a HUGE edge. I can personally think of a couple of weird strategies with a Foolamancer.

Here's an example of something I might do. This isn't necessarily what I think Parson will do.

Veil Charlie's units. Ansom's units move in and discover a veil of Archons. They assume Charlie sold out and begin striking the air units of someone waiting a turn for Parson. Suddenly, Parson's getting his enemies enemy doing the work FOR him.

But personally, I don't think there is enough information for determining what the veils would be used for.

[Radar]

Too many of them, and some aren't marbits (at least one of them has hair).

Parson in says "Prder Sizemore to start liquid and gas traps." This seems to cover it.

But if they were killed by said gas trap, then they would be alive before the trap was set off and given the fact, those corpses are right next to the powder mixture, metal golem would get into a fight, what is not probable - setting a trap for someone, you have to kill in order to set the trap just doesn't fit.

If they are GK troops, it wouldn't fit even more - killing your own troops on purpose is illogical.

So they were not marbits (or not all of them were), but i still think, they had to be croaked before the powders were mixed. Patrols didn't have to be formed solelly from marbits.

Moreover - the same golem released flammable stuff, so powder is likely a part of the same trap.

edit: as for the ammount of said corpses - most probably there wasn't just one patrol. We just seen only one in the comic.

[The Old Hack]

Flame throwers, napalm, all of them heavily used in 20th century wars.

It unquestionably works. I think the point was that the previous poster himself would not want to kill that way.

Speaking of glowing shovels. There was one time in World of Warcraft ages ago where I misclicked a Crusader enchant on a silly level 3 shovel I'd grabbed off some kobolds (instead of on the epic level 60 sword I'd intended the enchant for). The shovel glowed quite nicely afterwards. I wish I'd saved a screenshot of the darn thing.

[Doctor Zuber]

But if they were killed by said gas trap, then they would be alive before the trap was set off and given the fact, those corpses are right next to the powder mixture, metal golem would get into a fight, what is not probable - setting a trap for someone, you have to kill in order to set the trap just doesn't fit.

If they are GK troops, it wouldn't fit even more - killing your own troops on purpose is illogical.

So they were not marbits (or not all of them were), but i still think, they had to be croaked before the powders were mixed. Patrols didn't have to be formed solelly from marbits.

Moreover - the same golem released flammable stuff, so powder is likely a part of the same trap.

edit: as for the ammount of said corpses - most probably there wasn't just one patrol. We just seen only one in the comic.

Um... You seem to be forgetting recent history here. This is not the first battle in the tunnels. a turn or two ago Sizemore crushes the first scouts in the tunnels, mainly marbits. During this time Wanda was otherwise disposed so it would explain why these bodies were not uncroaked.

[Lamech]

Wienber is a very good commander it seems, maybe it was right to send him even if he didn't have the best leadership bonus. I'm betting the chemical reactions are something that were already in-place, and not of Parson's devising. We saw nothing were Parson was showing Sizemore how to make deadly traps. Well time for the slaughter to begin.

Hmm... with that gas I'm betting the golem killed a few marbits. Placed the trap, and then had the way cleared for him.

[Doctor Zuber]

It unquestionably works. I think the point was that the previous poster himself would not want to kill that way.

Speaking of glowing shovels. There was one time in World of Warcraft ages ago where I misclicked a Crusader enchant on a silly level 3 shovel I'd grabbed off some kobolds (instead of on the epic level 60 sword I'd intended the enchant for). The shovel glowed quite nicely afterwards. I wish I'd saved a screenshot of the darn thing.

Lol, I had a level 1 dagger I had intentionally enchanted with fiery for twinks. It was a tradeable item, so it just kind of floated from twink to twink.

[fehler]

Bodies are removed at the start of the next turn, like garbage, as we learned from Misty's croaking. This explains why Wanda needed to act quickly to uncroak the flyers, and means the dead marbits were recent arriavals.

[SteveMB]

d) To get the Foolamancer to use veil abilities from afar.

Veiling requires the Foolamancer to be with the veiled stack.

[teratorn]

Um... You seem to be forgetting recent history here. This is not the first battle in the tunnels. a turn or two ago Sizemore crushes the first scouts in the tunnels, mainly marbits. During this time Wanda was otherwise disposed so it would explain why these bodies were not uncroaked.

Tss, tss, forgetting? Uncroaked bodies go away at the beginning of the next turn, and GK and Jetstone had turns after that. (ninja'd)

By the way, when I read the strip I thought of those two as different golems (the liquid one lacks the spikes on the shoulders).

[Grubsnik]

Jack used to veil entire cities, so that might not be entirely true. Though it is the basic premise for stack-veiling.

[ReccaSquirrel]

Veiling requires the Foolamancer to be with the veiled stack.

I knew they had to be in the stack, but I really thought it could be linked or something. Guess not. But I don't see why it would matter so much to Parson if the Foolamancer was told his name or not. The best I can figure, the Foolamancer is two turns away now.

It has to either be to make sure Stanley survives or some other Foolamancy ability we haven't seen (or I've forgotten). So, do we know anything else a Foolamancer can do besides veil?

[teratorn]

It has to either be to make sure Stanley survives or some other Foolamancy ability we haven't seen (or I've forgotten). So, do we know anything else a Foolamancer can do besides veil?

He can cast illusions.

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My guess is that Parson wants to trick Stanley into coming back to GK. It's one way to beat Charlie.

[The Old Hack]

It occurs to me that such devices as we see used here must already to a degree be known to Erfworlders -- otherwise Webinar would have had no experience telling him to run for it and warn his troops of danger. He may not have known exactly what the trap would do but he certainly had some idea that the strange non-water was Bad News Indeed. Thus, even if Parson added his knowledge to the mix, some of this must be basic Dirtamancy that sufficiently experienced military men would know to be wary of.

[Oracle_Hunter]

Re: Names from Unit Stats

My theory is that the "name" part requires actual knowledge on the viewer's part. If you don't know the name, then you'd probably just get the general unit type (Piker, Twoll, or Foolamancer).

Or Parson's glasses are super-special-awesome

Also: Look at the "special" line. It separates "caster" from "Foolamancer." An interesting division, no?

[Enlong]

By the way:
A Jacksnipe is either a type of two-person dinghy or a bird. Take your pick for the pun, 'cause I'm lost.

[tribble]

Also: Look at the "special" line. It separates "caster" from "Foolamancer." An interesting division, no?

its just a subclassification. all foolamancers are casters, but not all casters are foolamancers. hence it tells you he's a caster, and then that he's a foolamancer.

[Lord_Butters_I]

Re: Names from Unit Stats

My theory is that the "name" part requires actual knowledge on the viewer's part. If you don't know the name, then you'd probably just get the general unit type (Piker, Twoll, or Foolamancer).

Or Parson's glasses are super-special-awesome

Also: Look at the "special" line. It separates "caster" from "Foolamancer." An interesting division, no?

Casters can cast things outside their specialization. See Wanda and findamancy.

[Doctor Zuber]

Tss, tss, forgetting? Uncroaked bodies go away at the beginning of the next turn, and GK and Jetstone had turns after that. (ninja'd)

Actually, I did remember this detail, but I ignored it for now. All I can think is the bodies are no longer uncroakable, but were left as artistic clutter anyhow. Since Parsons orders were gas and liquid traps only, that would kind of imply that he did not crush a group of marbits in conventional battle first.

Another explanation, though I shudder to contemplate it, is that the author himself made a minor flub here but putting the bodies in.

[Justyn]

Another explanation, though I shudder to contemplate it, is that the author himself made a minor flub here but putting the bodies in.

Or, buried bodies don't dematerialize... Which, if that were true, would mean that Misty would still be there.

[KeiranHalcyon]

I doubt the powder is either gunpowder or thermite. Both require a heat source for ignition, and this reaction appears to begin spontaneously. Personally, I thought the powder was a time-delayed ignition source for the flamable liquid - although there does seem to be an awful lot of powder for that purpose.

Also, am I the only one who thinks that the figures at the top of the cliff in the last panel look less like Jetstone infantry than crap golems waiting in ambush?

[dr pepper]

Is that Webinar croaked in the last panel?

No, he's climbing ahead of the flames, so he's not dead yet. Still, as leader of the tunnel assault, even just being singed could weaken the group.

Personally, i want to see him and his girlfriend survive.

Also, i loved the look of resolve on Sizemore's face.

[MattR]

http://www.birdguides.com/species/species.asp?sp=057058

''The Jack Snipe is an extremely difficult bird to see, partly because they are not very common but mostly because they are so well-camouflaged they will often sit unnoticed and let you walk past them. Even if you flush one you'll get only a brief view, as they characteristically dive down again without flying far.''

[MattR]

To play the Jack. To play the rogue or knave; to deceive or lead astray like Jack-o’-lantern, or ignis fatuus.

[Doctor Zuber]

This bird referance with Jack Snipe seems to fit so perfectly. once again, hats off to our author for coming up with quite clever referances for Erfworld.

[dr pepper]

Lol, I had a level 1 dagger I had intentionally enchanted with fiery for twinks. It was a tradeable item, so it just kind of floated from twink to twink.

Way back before PCs, there was a dungeon game on my college mainframe where there were several possible weapons. If you didn't have one, your weapon was "fist". I managed to hack the program so that "fist" could be enchanted just like anything else. I never managed to get more than a +3 fist, though.

[Demented]

Jack doesn't seem too happy. Captured caster, damaged mind, alleged mistreatment... Chalk up #363 on Things That Could Backfire.

[Manoftyr]

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I'm thinking that this is going to end up in some variation of the following situation. Everyone in the stack is going to die, even Weibner's girlfriend/wife/whatever, EXCEPT Weibner who will barely escape with his life, he'll go back to Ansom and do the whole cliche' "It was a massacre sir!, everyone's dead...I'm the only one left!" leading to the coalition losing complete faith in Ansom's leadership and Ansom beginning to question his own philosophy on Royalty, couple this with Charlie positioning himself in Parson's airspace and I see the entire coalition just clusterbooping, leaving Ansom with a far smaller force and giving Parson/Stanley the chance to counter-attack and drive off the invaders

[Fez]

I immediately thought of a fuel air explosion or as seen in mine disasters, a confined gas or vapor cloud explosion.

Fuel air explosives pack more explosive capacity per lb, than most any other conventional bomb. The idea is to vaporize the payload and suspend it and then ignite.

Confined gas explosions in tunnels not only quickly process all the oxygen, but create a massive heat and pressure wave. This is why miners are always most worried about gas leaks. Its not just the fire of the explosion its the concussion wave as the explosion tries to force its way through the tunnels to find a vent point, often collapsing the tunnels along way. You then get a vacuum, which creates a return wave for double the fun.

I suppose it makes sense a dirtamancer could produce some variety of petrochemical if given direction. That said, probably isn't a confined gas explosion as all allied troops down there (at least with any connecting air passages) would get whumped as well.