OotS 448

[interwyrm]

This strip was simply awesome.

The spell was not used offensively. Offensively in the context of the spell means "forcing activation on another by using your own actions." I think that's pretty clear from the spell description.

In this case, he says 'follow the bouncing ball". Even if you know you're up against some evil d00d with tricks up his sleeve... he throws a brightly colored object that bounces around... you're probalby going to look at it, if nothing else to avoid it hitting you.

I think it's been established that Xykon knows when the enounter is happening. The paladins don't. The only buffs that would be in effect are long-term ones. Xykon, on the other hand could have prepared a little bit.

As has been pointed out before, confusion makes creatures attack their attackers. The doors to the room are probably barred to prevent entry, so after a few rounds, every confused creature should be attacking another confused creature. The one left at the end apparently rolled "act normally" after no one was left.

The only hand-wavy thing about this encounter was the paralyzing touch at the end. If Xykon doesn't want the gate destroyed, then that was pretty risky.

 

[interwyrm]

Oh, hands down best part of the strip: Eyepatch-paladin's head flying off.

 

[Grog]

The spell was not used offensively. Offensively in the context of the spell means "forcing activation on another by using your own actions."

As Xykon did with his action of throwing the ball with the symbol inscribed on it into the middle of a large group of paladins.

 

[interwyrm]

As Xykon did with his action of throwing the ball with the symbol inscribed on it into the middle of a large group of paladins.

It's the same thing as pulling the cover off of a symbol on the wall. It would have been an offensive use if the ball was touch-triggered, and it went off because it bounced off of paladins.

 

[TwinBahamut]

I will throw in another vote that this is a "meh" strip at best.

Sometimes Rich's idea of entertaining and/or humorous is just too morbid for me. This strip is asking the reader to cheer for Xykon, based on some premise that watching good people killing each other is fun, and is doing it in a rather silly and intended-to-be-humorous manner.

Watching Xykon get the stuffing beaten out of him would be a lot funnier.

This isn't even a terribly good way to make the villian seem all that evil or dangerous, because, well, that aspect of Xykon is irredeemable. There have been enough jokes at Xykon's expense through the comic that I will never take him seriously as a villain, and I will always think him being competent is out of character. He is a great villain when his plans are going awry, but when he is being successful he is just wierd and cliche at the same time.

 

[Grog]

It's the same thing as pulling the cover off of a symbol on the wall. It would have been an offensive use if the ball was touch-triggered, and it went off because it bounced off of paladins.

If a symbol is "smart" enough to know when your actions caused another creature to touch it, it's also "smart" enough to know when your actions caused another creature to look at it.

 

[interwyrm]

If a symbol is "smart" enough to know when your actions caused another creature to touch it, it's also "smart" enough to know when your actions caused another creature to look at it.

The fundamental difference is that for the touch-triggered symbol, it takes no action on the part of the paladins to activate it. With the look-triggered symbol, the paladins must actively look at it to trigger. The reason that they look is immaterial.

The only way I could possibly see a look-triggered symbol as being used offensively is if the target were sat down in front of it, and his eyelids were taped back.

 

[Darklone]

I expect to see some minor annoyance coming up in the next strip that will foil Xykons plan in a very simple and funny way.

 

[coyote6]

Plus, the fact that I came up with a better script for this episode

I'd have to disagree with that.

 

[blargney the second]

If I had to guard that throne room, I'd have put an anti-magic field in it. Maybe several carefully placed to allow magic in the center, if the gate itself had to be kept in a magic allowed area.

What gate?
-blarg