New Order of the Stick Strip Up

[Aniuś the Talewise]

Drejk wrote:

Maybe it's time for Hilgya Firehelm to appear again?

My body is ready.

[Ross Byers]

Aniuś the Talewise wrote:

Snappouta!

I think Erfworld's onomatopoeia are rubbing off on Rich.

[Fromper]

Imbicatus wrote:

Fromper wrote:

The Raven Black wrote:

Who needs Protection from Evil ?

; -))

I'm thinking there's a serious circumstance bonus from knowing that the world literally depends on you winning this fight.

I think that was Improved Iron Will. Roy had the charmed eyes, and then broke out of it. :)

Just looked again. Roy and Durkon are standing in some sort of magic circle in the room. I wonder if that boosts Will saves, to keep things honest in the Godsmoot.

[Andostre]

I think it's more a matter of Roy playing an intelligent fighter, and the story calling for a show of his mental prowess. Rich has often said that he'll ignore the rules if the story requires.

[Kobold Catgirl]

Yeah, right before Durkon's death, he implied that Roy was the only other member of the party he trusted to have a strong enough will to resist.

Durkon: "I dinnae suppose ye can go fetch just Roy for me, kitty?"

[Dragoncat]

I like the "Oh S~*&" look on the High Priest's face there. I think it's perhaps the first time we've seen him make that face since the ending strips of the last arc.

[Kobold Catgirl]

I'm just waiting for the starmetal to take effect.

[Caineach]

Kobold Cleaver wrote:

I'm just waiting for the starmetal to take effect.

notice that the wound is purple (though that could just be the undead)

[Andostre]

I think it's just that Durkon is undead. The Greenhilt sword has a green flame effect when it procs.

[Michael Riter]

I am still waiting to see the REAL Durkon's reaction to what is happening currently.

[DM_Kumo Gekkou]

Mutually Assured Observation #1002

[Aniuś the Talewise]

I guess roy still doesn't totally get that the vampire is not Durkon at all

I wonder what it'll take for him to figure it out?

[Orthos]

Either him doing something even more extremely un-Durkon-like, or him straight up saying "I'm not Durkon".

[PathlessBeth]

Maybe Durkon's previous work in misleading HPoH will ultimately be what does it. Alternatively, maybe Roy will simply remove HPoH from the Moot, but not destroy him. Then, later Durkon does something to make Roy realize that Durkon is not HPoH, so Roy fights harder the next time he fights HPoH.

[Sarcasm Dragon]

Ah, yes, Veldrina just met Roy. Because she totally does not represent a fan who has been watching and reading about Roy for the last 1002 strips, and totally does not represent someone who spent a bunch of money for the chance to appear in the same panel as Roy!

[Drejk]

Aniuś the Talewise wrote:

I guess roy still doesn't totally get that the vampire is not Durkon at all

I wonder what it'll take for him to figure it out?

Roy has no reason to think otherwise. It was mentioned before that the nuances of vampires being actually possessed by evil spirits is not a common knowledge. It must look to him like a case of transformation-induced alignment change that lead to change of divine patron.

[Fromper]

With that many high level clerics there, I'd assume that almost all of them know how vampires work. They just don't realize Roy's confusion. But I suspect that one of them will explain it to him once they realize what it is that he doesn't know.

[DM_Kumo Gekkou]

Remember how much the fans of the comic questioned it as well. Once Hel was mentioned we finally had proof, but if we could be deceived for a time Roy (without our knowledge) easily can be, and he is more incline to want to be.

[Aniuś the Talewise]

DM_Kumo Gekkou wrote:

Remember how much the fans of the comic questioned it as well. Once Hel was mentioned we finally had proof, but if we could be deceived for a time Roy (without our knowledge) easily can be, and he is more incline to want to be.

I too was deceived but felt something was "off" in the back of my mind, which was falsely relieved when "Durkon" said he felt right as Thor's rain, since he hadn't made any Thor references in a while, and was worried that he had given up both Thor and himself and become a different person the way the lizard guy did.

[strayshift]

I wonder if Roy is any good at sundering?

[The Raven Black]

A trial by combat with no one intervening beyond the 2 champions, aka a judgment from God(s). How appropriate :-)

[Aniuś the Talewise]

The Raven Black wrote:

A trial by combat with no one intervening beyond the 2 champions, aka a judgment from God(s). How appropriate :-)

holmgang!

[Ross Byers]

strayshift wrote:

I wonder if Roy is any good at sundering?

The staff? Durkula probably learned that spell by now, and even if he hadn't, that's not the kind of instant win he needs right now.

[The Raven Black]

He should sunder the unholy symbol of Hel. IIRC, no Divine Focus, not that many Cleric spells available.

That said, seeing the usual caster/martial disparity at such high levels and adding the Vampire template, it is amazing that Roy is still standing.

[Lord Fyre]

The Raven Black wrote:

He should sunder the unholy symbol of Hel. IIRC, no Divine Focus, not that many Cleric spells available.

That said, seeing the usual caster/martial disparity at such high levels and adding the Vampire template, it is amazing that Roy is still standing.

It's still early in the combat. And remember, that Durkon is still maintaining the summon proxy spell.

[strayshift]

Ross Byers wrote:

strayshift wrote:

I wonder if Roy is any good at sundering?

The staff? Durkula probably learned that spell by now, and even if he hadn't, that's not the kind of instant win he needs right now.

Holy symbol.

[The Raven Black]

Re-reading is good. I just realized who the pro-Yes Cleric worshipped and I easily understand why the idea of helping a vampire sickens the Cleric of Sunna, goddess of the Sun (of the "Nuke it from orbit" style) :-)

[strayshift]

Durkula may be low on offensive spells (although as he has prepared for this I find that hard to believe) as the damaging spell he cast at Roy doesn't seem something like a Harm or Slay Living spell to end the fight quickly. I don't believe he would toy with Roy as the mission is too important to Hel. Guess the next few strips will show us.

[Kobold Catgirl]

Durkon might have prepared more subtle spells, like mind control—and Roy has a good Will save.

[Berinor]

Or he might be avoiding Fort saves because stereotypical fighters would resist those.

[The Raven Black]

I think Durkula actually wants to beat Roy rather than kill him so that he can savor Roy's despair at seeing his former best friend, mentor and father figure cause the end of the world. Hence the Hold Person.

I feel such toying is yet another sign of the arrogance of the undead in OotS who see living beings as inherently inferior. Durkula just cannot imagine that Roy could actually beat him.

Also Durkula might not have realized that, if he was destroyed, Hel's plan would unravel.

And Hel is likely not aware of her High Priest's fight, since she can hear only the gods and is too concentrated on her gloating. So she cannot order him to finish this at once.

[KingOfAnything]

Was that the Spellsplinter Maneuver?!?

[Aniuś the Talewise]

oh snap!!!!

[Aniuś the Talewise]

durkon likes having his hands tied, eh? ;)

winkwinkwinkwinkwink

[Andostre]

KingOfAnything wrote:

Was that the Spellsplinter Maneuver?!?

After the other bodyguards in the gallery are super-impressed by the Spellsplinter Maneuver, I want to see Roy with the Leadership feat, having a cohort and followers who are the first to understand that the peril the world is in.

[GeraintElberion]

Presumably, Roy learnt it when he was dead.

[Fromper]

Heh. Not a fighter alive that knows it. :)

How did Durkon know about it, though? Or is he bluffing?

[Aniuś the Talewise]

Fromper wrote:

Heh. Not a fighter alive that knows it. :)

How did Durkon know about it, though? Or is he bluffing?

perhaps the vampire spirit been around a lot longer than durkon has, and is aware of the attack.

also, given that resurrection is established as common in this world, I don't see why more people don't learn old attacks from their deceased ancestors like Roy.

[Kobold Catgirl]

Durkon probably told Roy he could do it at some point. Or he saw Roy using it against one of Tarquin's cronies.

[Kobold Catgirl]

Aniuś the Talewise wrote:

Fromper wrote:

Heh. Not a fighter alive that knows it. :)

How did Durkon know about it, though? Or is he bluffing?

perhaps the vampire spirit been around a lot longer than durkon has, and is aware of the attack.

also, given that resurrection is established as common in this world, I don't see why more people don't learn old attacks from their deceased ancestors like Roy.

Probably because it costs a ton, inflicts negative levels, and is taking a tremendous risk that the cleric will still be around when you're ready to come back. :P

[Aniuś the Talewise]

Kobold Cleaver wrote:

Aniuś the Talewise wrote:

Fromper wrote:

Heh. Not a fighter alive that knows it. :)

How did Durkon know about it, though? Or is he bluffing?

perhaps the vampire spirit been around a lot longer than durkon has, and is aware of the attack.

also, given that resurrection is established as common in this world, I don't see why more people don't learn old attacks from their deceased ancestors like Roy.

Probably because it costs a ton, inflicts negative levels, and is taking a tremendous risk that the cleric will still be around when you're ready to come back. :P

i don't mean on purpose, hehe. I mean that if you happen to get thrown into the afterlife, take the time to pick up some skills from the old masters.

[Andostre]

Kobold Cleaver wrote:

Durkon probably told Roy he could do it at some point. Or he saw Roy using it against one of Tarquin's cronies.

If nothing else, Durkon probably saw Roy do the maneuver during the illusionary dream sequence at Girard's Gate.

[Ross Byers]

Dwarves also live a really long time: Durkon is probably older than the dead grandfather Roy learned the move from.

[Kobold Catgirl]

Andostre wrote:

Kobold Cleaver wrote:

Durkon probably told Roy he could do it at some point. Or he saw Roy using it against one of Tarquin's cronies.

If nothing else, Durkon probably saw Roy do the maneuver during the illusionary dream sequence at Girard's Gate.

Durkon wasn't there for that. Neither dead nor alive.

Durkon's age is irrelevant—Wrecen didn't say human fighter, he said no fighter alive, period.

[Ross Byers]

Well, clearly he's wrong, since Roy does. But, Durkula mostly likely knows of the move because Roy told him (well, Durkon) about it sometime after his resurrection (he was already talking about it here).

Durkon/Durkula clearly doesn't actually know the move. But he's old enough to at least know OF the move, just as Wreclan does.

[Aniuś the Talewise]

if roy told durkon about the move, and durkula knows whatever durkon knows simply by accessing his memories, what is the point of acting surprised?

What I think now is that even though a smart durkula would comb as much of durkon's memories as he can for tactical information about Roy, he made an oversight in the case of the technique. I suppose it's a reasonable mistake to make since Roy only mentioned the move to Durkon once and never made it in his presence (as far as I know), and so Durkon himself may have simply forgotten about it and thus never had it cross his mind under the eyes of the vampire.

Hopefully Roy is observant enough to catch durkula's error. since Roy told Durkon about the technique himself, Durkon would know about it. The fact that Durkula doesn't appear to know something about Roy that Durkon does should tip him off that this is NOT just a Durkon who has gone off the deep end, but a completely different person altogether.

[thejeff]

Except Durkula doesn't really act surprised. He says "That's a nice trick you picked up. I admit that I wasn't sure it would be effective against divine magic."

Apparently, he knew about it, but didn't know if it would work on him.

[Kobold Catgirl]

It's fairly simple—Durkon knew Roy had the feat, but wasn't sure exactly how the feat worked. Roy previously splintered the spell of one of Tarquin's friends (the scarf guy), and probably talked to Durkon about it, anyways.

Whether or not Durkon knows of the move is irrelevant, as is his race with those regards—we see that multiple humans know about it already. What matters is whether he knew that Roy had the feat. He did. Etc.

[Imbicatus]

So what I'm wondering is if the Spellspinter Maneuver can wreck already cast spells like Spell Sunder does in pathfinder. Because Durkula just dropped the staff, and if Roy can dispel the protective penumbra, then Durkula might go poof. There is a lot of sunlight coming in through the windows.

[Lord Fyre]

Imbicatus wrote:

So what I'm wondering is if the Spellspinter Maneuver can wreck already cast spells like Spell Sunder does in pathfinder. Because Durkula just dropped the staff, and if Roy can dispel the protective penumbra, then Durkula might go poof. There is a lot of sunlight coming in through the windows.

That may be what is about to happen.

Then Hel will be in a pickle.